The Subdivisions
by cartoonfan93
Summary: A brand new toon named Cliff Evans moves into Acme Acres, where he attends Acme Looniversity & forms a Rush tribute band with Furrball & Calamity.
1. Rehearsing for a play

It's a hot day in Acme Acres, and everyone in town is having to put up with the blistering heat.  
>Today in Acme Looniversity, the toons are all having class in the auditorium with Pepe Le Pew. They are all rehearsing for a play, with Pepe as the director.<br>"Good afternoon, everyone", greeted Pepe.  
>"Good afternoon, Professor Le Pew", the class greeted back.<br>"Eet's good to have vous all back, so let's conteenue where we left off."  
>Furrball, Fifi, Calamity, and Hamton all dressed into their outfits &amp; got together on the stage. The play they're doing is "Casablanca".<br>Furrball has the main role of Rick Blaine, Fifi playing Ilsa Lund, Hamton as Victor Laszlo, and Calamity as Captain Louis Renault.  
>They are at the final scene of the play, which takes place at the airport. The four toons all appeared on stage, waiting for Pepe's cue.<br>"All right, are we all set?"  
>"Oui, we're ready", Fifi replied.<br>"Okay, and...action."  
>Furrball turned to Calamity &amp; spoke his line.<br>"Louis, have your man go with Mr. Laszlo and take care of his luggage."  
>"Certainly Rick", said Calamity, "anything you say."<br>Calamity then approached Fowlmouth, who's playing as the orderly.  
>"Find Mr. Laszlo's luggage &amp; put it on the plane."<br>"Yes, sir", Fowlmouth said, "right this way."  
>Fowlmouth then escorted Hamton offstage, while Furrball took some letters out of his pocket.<br>"Louis, if you don't mind, you fill in the names. That'll make it even more official."  
>Calamity chuckled before he said, "You think of everything, don't you?"<br>"The names are Mr. & Mrs. Victor Laszlo."  
>That line was the cue for Fifi to speak up.<br>"Wait a meenute, why me Richard?"  
>"Because you're getting on that plane."<br>"But...I don't understand. What about vous?"  
>"I'm staying here with Louis until the plane gets away safely."<br>"Non, Richard! What happened to vous? Last night we said-"  
>"Last night we said many great things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I've done a lot of it since then &amp; it all adds up to one thing: you're getting on that plane with Victor where you belong."<br>"But Richard, non. I- I-"  
>"Ilsa, you've gotta listen to me. Do you have any idea what you'd have to look forward to if you stayed here? There'll be a 9 out of 10 chance we'd both end up in a concentration camp. Right, Louis?"<br>"I'm afraid Major Strasser would insist", Calamity replied.  
>Fifi then said, "You're saying zhis only to make me go."<br>"I'm saying it because it's true", Furrball responded. "Inside both of us we know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves & you're not with him, you'll regret it."  
>"Non."<br>"Well, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life."  
>Fifi paused for a moment before asking, "But what about us?"<br>"We'll always have Paris", Furrball continued. "We didn't have it, we'd lost it, until you came here to Casablanca. We got it back last night."  
>"And last night I said I'd never leave vous."<br>"And you never will. But I've got a job to do too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of."  
>At that moment, Fifi's lips started trembling, while the rest of the toons watched from the front row of the auditorium, amazed by Furrball &amp; Fifi's performance. Furrball then continued.<br>"Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday, you'll understand."  
>Fifi then lowered her head as her eyes welled up with tears. Furrball gently placed a paw under Fifi's chin.<br>"Now, now...", Furrball whispered as he lifted Fifi's head softly. As Fifi's eyes met his, Furrball smiled & spoke his next line.  
>"Here's looking at you, kid."<br>The toons smiled as Furrball said that one line.  
>"Man, he's good", Buster whispered to Babs. Hamton then returned to the stage as Furrball is given the letters by Calamity.<br>"Is everything in order?", Hamton asked.  
>"All except one thing", Furrball replied. "There's something you should know before you leave."<br>"Monsieur Blaine, you don't need to explain anything."  
>"I'm going to anyway, because it may make a difference to you later on. You said you knew about Ilsa &amp; me, right?"<br>"Yes."  
>"But you didn't know she was at my place last night. She came for the letters of transit. Right, Ilsa?"<br>"Oui", Fifi said, facing Hamton.  
>"She tried everything to get them", Furrball continued, "and nothing worked. She did her best to convince me that she was still in love with me, but that was all over long ago. For your sake, she pretended it wasn't, and I let her pretend."<br>"I understand", Hamton said.  
>"Here you go." Furrball then gave Hamton the letters.<br>"Thanks. I appreciate it. And welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win."  
>As the cat &amp; pig shook hands, the sound of an airplane engine starting up is heard.<br>"Are you ready Ilsa?", Hamton asked Fifi.  
>"Oui, I'm ready", the purple skunk replied before she turned to Furrball. "Au revoir, Rick. God bless you."<br>"You better hurry or you'll miss the plane", Furrball told Fifi. At that moment, Hamton & Fifi walked offstage. A moment later, Calamity spoke up.  
>"Well, I was right. You are a sentimentalist."<br>"I don't know what you're talking about."  
>"What you just did for Laszlo, and that fairy tale that you invented to send Ilsa away with him. I know a little about women, my friend. She went, but she knew you were lying."<br>"Yep. Anyway, thanks for helping me out."  
>"I suppose you know this isn't gonna be pleasant for either of us, especially for you. I'll have to arrest you."<br>"As soon as the plane goes, Louis."  
>After a moment, Monty, who's playing as Major Heinrich Strasser, stepped in.<br>"Hey! What is the meaning of that phone call?"  
>"Victor Laszlo is on that plane", Calamity replied.<br>"Why are you standing here? Stop him!"  
>"Ask Monsieur Rick."<br>Monty then stepped up to a 1940s style telephone at the side of the stage.  
>"Hey!", Furrball exclaimed as he pulls out a gun (a prop gun, not a real gun) from his coat. "Get away from that phone."<br>Monty made a face of horror as he said, "I would advise that you don't interfere."  
>"I was willing to shoot Captain Renault, and I'm willing to shoot you."<br>Monty stood still for a moment, before he quickly grabbed the reciever.  
>"Hello?"<br>"Put that phone down!"  
>"Get me the radio tower!"<br>"Put it down, now!"  
>Monty used his other hand to pull out his gun &amp; aimed it at Furrball. He pulled the trigger, which produced a loud BANG, and all that shot out was a small cloud of smoke.<br>Furrball ducked to "avoid" Monty's shot & fired his gun. Monty then placed a hand on his chest & collapsed to the ground.  
>Once Furrball put his gun away, Gogo Dodo, who duplicated himself to make a group of gendarmes, all hurried on stage.<br>"Mon Capitaine!", one Gogo exclaimed.  
>"Major Strasser's been shot", Calamity explained before he turned to Furrball. The blue cat stared back at Calamity with expressionless eyes.<br>"Round up the usual suspects", Calamity ordered to Gogo & his clones.  
>"Oui, Mon Capitaine."<br>The group of Gogos all approached Monty & carried him offstage. Calamity went stageside & picked up a bottle of vichy water.  
>"Well, Rick", said the grey coyote, "I must say, you're not only a sentimentalist, but you've become a patriot."<br>"Maybe", Furrball replied, "but it seemed like a good time to start."  
>"I think you're right."<br>After Calamity poured the water into a couple of glasses, he tosses the bottle toward stageside, which shattered upon landing. The grey coyote then continued.  
>"It might be a good idea for you to disappear from Casablanca for a while. There's a Free French garrison over at Brazzaville. I could be induced to arrange a passage."<br>"My letter of transit?", Furrball asked. "I could use a trip. But it doesn't make any difference about our bet. You still owe me 10,000 francs."  
>"And that 10,000 francs should pay our expenses."<br>"Our expenses?"  
>"Uh-huh."<br>As the two walked off together, Furrball placed an arm around Calamity & spoke the final line of the play.  
>"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."<br>"And cut!", Pepe shouted. "Zhat's a wrap!"  
>The toons sitting in the stands cheered as Furrball, Calamity, Fifi, and Hamton all appeared onstage again &amp; bowed.<br>"Great job, Furrball", Calamity said.  
>"Vous were tres amazeeng, mon amore", Fifi complimented.<br>"Thanks guys", Furrball replied. "I gotta say, I totally nailed that."  
>"Bravo!", Pepe said. "You were all marvelous! C'est magnifique!"<p>

Backstage, as Furrball & Fifi were changing out of their outfits, Fifi spoke up.  
>"Vous deed an excellent job, Furrball."<br>"Thanks Fifi. I never thought I'd do so well."  
>"Next time, we should do 'Gone With The Wind'. I can be Scarlett, and vous can be Rhett."<br>"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a darn."  
>"See? You're already, how you say, getteeng into character."<br>"Yeah, I know", Furrball said in an uninterested tone. Fifi turned to Furrball with questionable eyes, noticing the change of tone in Furrball's voice.  
>"Are you alright?", she asked.<br>"Yeah, I'm fine."  
>"Eez zhere somezhing wrong, my love?"<br>"No, no, everything's fine."  
>"Are you sure?"<br>"Positive."  
>"Zhen why do you sound...bored?"<br>"I don't know. It's just that I...", Furrball paused, trying to think of what to say next.  
>"I'm not really interested in doing school plays."<br>"Why not?"  
>"It's just...not my thing."<br>"But Furrball, vous were amazeeng out zhere. How come you're not interested in doeeng plays?"  
>"I don't feel comfortable in doing any acting in front of people."<br>"Well, eez zhere anytheeng zhat you do feel like doeeng?"  
>"I like to do something more...music related."<br>"Oh, you mean musicals, like 'The Sound of Music' or 'West Side Story?'"  
>"No, I mean, rock music. Like in the Battle of the Tribute Bands. Being able to play my guitar in front of thousands of people."<br>"And wearing zhat cute outfit."  
>"Yeah. That was so much fun. I wish I could do it all again."<br>"Well, vous can ask Buster or Plucky, and maybe you can start playeeng again."  
>"That'd be nice."<p> 


	2. Cliff Evans

Later that day after school, Buster, Babs, Plucky, Shirley, Hamton, Furrball, and Fifi were all walking together, talking about Furrball's performance.  
>"I must say, Furrball", Babs said, "you did an awesome job earlier today."<br>"Thanks", Furrball replied. "I didn't think I'd do so well."  
>Shirley then said, "Like, you do a very good Humphrey Bogart. The way you say those lines were perfect or some junk."<br>"I agree", Plucky exclaimed, "those were some of my favorite movie lines. 'Here's looking at you, kid', and...uh...what was the other one?"  
>"What one?", Furrball asked.<br>"What did he say after the first time he met with Ilsa, in the bar?"  
>"Oh, that. 'Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.'"<br>"That's it! That's the one!"  
>Hamton then spoke, "It's amazing how you remember those lines, Furrball."<br>"I'll be honest, it ain't easy."  
>"Hey guys", said Buster, "I found something interesting about the movie Casablanca. Did you know that the line 'here's looking at you, kid' was improvised by Humphrey Bogart?"<br>"Really?", Fifi asked. "I deed not know that."  
>"It's true. Mr. Bogart often used that line on the set, while Ingrid Bergman played poker with the other cast members. She was still learning English, and Mr. Bogart would often watch the game &amp; say 'here's looking at you' to Ms. Bergman."<br>"Wow", exclaimed Babs, "that's very interesting, Buster."  
>As the toons turned a corner, they all spotted something up ahead.<br>"Hey, look", Hamton pointed forward. They saw a large white moving truck, with a few people taking some furniture & other stuff out of the truck & into a white, two-story house.  
>"Looks like someone's moving in", Babs concluded as the toons all headed up to the house. A couple of the movers were sitting on the sidewalk, drinking bottled soda.<br>"Whew!", said one of the workers as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "What a heck of a day to be working. It's so darn hot."  
>"Tell me about it", said the other worker. "I feel like I'm gonna melt pretty soon. I'm sweating like a pig."<br>"I beg your pardon?", Hamton asked. The workers turned to the toons.  
>"Heh. No offense", said the worker, "it's just a figure of speech."<br>At that moment, an adult female cat appeared at the door. She had tan fur, long silky brown hair, a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sandals.  
>She walked out of the doorway &amp; approached the two workers on the sidewalk.<br>"Are you two doing okay?", she asked. "Can I get you anything?"  
>"Do you have any more soda?", one worker asked. "I'm almost out."<br>The other worker then said, "Water for me please. I'm trying to cut down on the caffeine."  
>"Okay, no problem", the female cat replied, "we have more soda in the cooler &amp; I have bottled water, too. Is that okay? It's cold."<br>"Sounds good to me", said the second worker. Just as the female cat turned to head back inside, she spotted the toons on the sidewalk.  
>"Oh, hello there", she greeted.<br>"Hi!", Buster greeted back. "Are you just moving in?"  
>"Yes, we are. Are you one of our new neighbors?"<br>"Yeah. Welcome to Acme Acres. I'm Buster Bunny."  
>"And I'm Babs Bunny", said Babs.<br>"No relation", the two bunnies said in unison.  
>"Well, hello. It's nice to meet you. I am Marie Evans."<br>"Pleased to meet you", Buster said, shaking Marie's hand.  
>"Is it just you who moving in?", Babs then asked.<br>"No", Marie replied, "my son will be living here too."  
>"You have a son?", Furrball asked.<br>"Hey mom?", a voice called out. The toons turned to see Marie's son, a smaller cat, standing in the doorway.  
>Like Marie, he had tan fur &amp; brown hair, except is hair is much shorter. He's wearing blue jeans, red sneakers, and a white t-shirt with a logo of a bomb.<br>"Mom, have you seen my Fender?", asked Marie's son.  
>"Yeah, it's still in the truck", Marie replied.<br>"Okay."  
>Once the little cat turned to go back inside, Marie spoke again.<br>"Hey sweetie, come over & meet our new neighbors."  
>The tan cat turned back &amp; saw the toons, who all stared back at him.<br>"Hello", he greeted.  
>"Hi there", Buster greeted back. Marie went back inside the house while her son took her spot in front of the toons.<br>"He looks handsome", Fifi whispered to Furrball. Furrball chuckled as Marie's son approached Buster & shook the blue bunny's hand.  
>"Nice to meet you. So, what do they call you?"<br>"I'm Buster Bunny."  
>"And I'm Babs Bunny", said Babs.<br>"No relation", the two bunnies said again simultaneously.  
>"Pleasure to meet you", said Marie's son. "The name's Evans. Cliff Evans."<br>"Welcome to Acme Acres, Cliff", replied Buster.  
>"Thank you. Who are the rest?"<br>At that moment, Plucky stepped forward.  
>"The name's Plucky Duck, star of Tiny Toon Adventures."<br>"'Tiny Toon Adventures'? What that?"  
>"It's a TV show we star in", Buster answered.<br>"Oh, very cool!"  
>Plucky then pulled Shirley forward, much to her dismay.<br>"And this is my girl- AIIEE!", Plucky said as Shirley stomped on his foot. "I mean my FRIEND, Shirley."  
>"Hello, Shirley", Cliff greeted, shaking her hand. Hamton then stepped forward.<br>"I'm Hamton J. Pig."  
>"Hey, Hamton", Cliff said as they shook hands.<br>"What town are you from?"  
>"We're from South San Francisco."<br>"San Francisco?!", Plucky exclaimed. "I love that town!"  
>"No no no, SOUTH San Francisco. It's a different town."<br>Shirley then asked, "Like, why is it called South San Francisco if it's not part of San Francisco or some junk?"  
>"Because it's 10 miles south of San Francisco."<br>"Oh", the toons all said. Finally, Cliff approached Furrball & Fifi.  
>"Hi. I'm Furrball", greeted the blue cat as he shook Cliff's hand.<br>"Hi, Furrball."  
>"And this is my girlfriend, Fifi."<br>"Bonjour", Fifi said. Cliff purred once he saw the purple skunk, and instead of shaking hands, he took Fifi's hand & kissed it.  
>"Enchanté", he said, which made the purple skunk giggle. Cliff then look behind Fifi &amp; saw her large, fluffy tail, then turned to Furrball.<br>"Your girlfriend's a skunk?", asked Cliff.  
>"Yeah, she is, but she's very sweet &amp; caring. Right, sweetheart?"<br>"Oui", Fifi replied, "we very deeply love each ozher."  
>"Aww", Cliff said, "that's nice. I must admit, you two look adorable together."<br>"Thanks, Cliff", Furrball replied.  
>"Hey, kid!", shouted one of the workers. Cliff turned to the truck to see a worker carrying a guitar case. "Is this what you're looking for?"<br>"Yes, that's it!", Cliff exclaimed as he ran up & took the guitar case. The tan cat set it down to the ground & opened it, before he let out a sigh of relief.  
>"Thank goodness, it's unscathed."<br>"What is it?", Buster asked.  
>"It's one of my most prized possessions."<br>Cliff then took out a black & brown Fender Jazz bass guitar.  
>"Ooooh", Plucky said, "what a pretty guitar."<br>"Thanks. This is a 4-string Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass, with a rosewood fingerboard, and a 4-ply brown shell pickguard."  
>As the toons moved in for a closer look, Shirley noticed a silver signature on the guitar.<br>"Hey! Somebody signed it!"  
>"Yep. I got this baby signed by the greatest bass guitarist who ever lived: Geddy Lee."<br>"Who's Geddy Lee?", Babs asked.  
>"Wait a minute", Furrball spoke, "you mean Geddy Lee, the lead singer &amp; bass player of Rush?"<br>"Uh-huh", Cliff replied. "My mom & I went to see Rush in Concord a couple years ago, during their Snakes & Arrows tour. I had my bass with me, we got to go backstage & meet them."  
>"No way! Really?!"<br>"Yep. Don't believe me? I have a picture."  
>Cliff then pulled out a photo from his guitar case. The toons looked &amp; saw Cliff &amp; Marie with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Cliff &amp; Geddy are seen holding the autographed Fender bass guitar.<br>The toons all exclaimed in amazement.  
>"Wow! You're very lucky!", Hamton commented.<br>"How deed vous get to meet zhem?", Fifi asked.  
>"We had backstage passes", Cliff answered. "This was my first time seeing Rush live, and holy moly macaroni, they blew my mind!"<br>"Was it a good show?", asked Buster.  
>"No. It was a GREAT show! And the band, they were some of the nicest people me &amp; mom have ever met. Though, Alex can be a bit of a goofball sometimes."<br>The toons laughed at what Cliff said, before Furrball spoke up.  
>"I bet it was a lot of fun."<br>"It was. We had such a great time. And we enjoyed many of their songs. Tom Sawyer, The Spirit Of Radio, Limelight. It was the best show ever. Plus, after that one night, I completed 3 of the 5 things on my bucket list."  
>"What's a bucket list?", questioned Fifi.<br>Furrball answered, "It's a list of things you want to do before you die."  
>"What are the other 2 things on your list?", asked Hamton.<br>"I'll show you", Cliff replied as he pulled out a notepad from his pocket & handed it to the toons. Buster opened it up to "MY BUCKET LIST" & the 5 things that are on the list.  
>The ones that are crossed out are, "<em>See Rush live for the first time<em>", "_Meet Rush in person_", and "_Have Geddy Lee sign my bass guitar._"  
>The other two that aren't crossed out are, "<em>Have a girlfriend who's also a Rush fan<em>" and "_Create a Rush tribute band._"  
>"Hey, uh...", Cliff spoke up, "would you guys like to come in? I'd be happy to give you the tour."<br>"Yeah", the toons replied as Buster handed the notepad back to Cliff & they all went inside.

Upstairs, Cliff opened a door that led to a bedroom, with a few stacks of boxes, a wooden desk in one corner & a bed in the opposite corner, across the room from the door. Next to the bed was a tall stack of CDs & a guitar case.  
>"And here is my bedroom", Cliff said as he led the toons inside.<br>"Wow, nice", Buster complimented.  
>"What's that stack of CDs over there?", Plucky asked.<br>"That is my collection of Rush albums", Cliff answered. "As of right now, I have every single studio album."  
>"Really?", Furrball questioned. "Can you name all of them?"<br>"Oh, that's easy. Rush, Fly By Night, Caress Of Steel, 2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, Presto, Roll The Bones, Counterparts, Test For Echo, Vapor Trails, Feedback, Snakes & Arrows, and Clockwork Angels."  
>The toons all exclaimed in amazement. They were very impressed at Cliff memorizing not only all the Rush albums, but also in the order they were first released.<br>"Like, how did you know all that?", asked Shirley.  
>"I've been a Rush fan for several years. How could I not know that?"<br>Fifi then noticed the 2nd guitar case sitting next to Cliff's bed.  
>"You have anozher guitar?", asked the purple skunk.<br>"I do", Cliff replied, "and this one is MY signature guitar."  
>Cliff went &amp; opened up the case. He took out the guitar &amp; showed it to the toons.<br>It was an unusual looking guitar. It had a black rectangular-shaped body, and no head at the end of its neck.  
>"What kind of guitar is this?", Furrball asked.<br>"This is a Steinberger L-series 4-string bass. The Steinberger company is known for producing headless guitars like this one."  
>Hamton then asked, "If that guitar has no head, then how do you tune it?"<br>"Good question. The knobs that tune the guitar are right here on the body."  
>The toons looked &amp; saw the four thick cylinders placed near the strings.<br>"How come you chose this guitar?", asked Plucky.  
>"I like guitars with unusual designs, and as soon as I heard that Geddy Lee once used a Steinberger, I immediately decided to get one &amp; declare it my signature guitar."<br>As Cliff opened up one of the boxes, Furrball spoke up.  
>"Geddy played a Steinberger?"<br>"Yep", Cliff replied, "he only used a Steinberger during the Grace Under Pressure tour, which was back in 1983 or 84."  
>The tan cat then pulled out an amp &amp; a long black cord. He set the amp down, plugged one end of the cord into the amp &amp; the other into his guitar. Cliff turned the amp on, and started playing his guitar, doing a few simple plucks with his fingers, before he did a quick solo. The toons watched as Cliff struck the strings quickly &amp; rhythmically.<br>"Wow, you're very good", Buster complimented.  
>"Thanks. All those times I spent watching Rush concerts have really paid off."<br>Furrball then spoke, "Hey, do you mind if I get my guitar & jam with you?"  
>"You play guitar?"<br>"Yeah. In fact...", Furrball searched himself, trying to find his guitar, but he doesn't have it with him.  
>"Uh, Fifi", Furrball asked his girlfriend, "where's my guitar?"<br>"Eet's back at our house."  
>"Oh, uh, heh heh. Um, I'll be back in about 5 seconds."<br>At that moment, Furrball stormed out of the bedroom, out of the house, to the Acme Junkyard, to Fifi's Cadillac, and all the way back to Cliff's house.  
>Once he rejoined the group, he has his black Gibson-SG with him.<br>"Here it is", panted the blue cat.  
>"Is that a Gibson-SG?", Cliff asked.<br>"Yep."  
>"Awesome. That's Angus Young's signature guitar."<br>"Oh, you like AC/DC too?", asked Plucky.  
>"Sure do. Both Rush &amp; ACDC are my favorite bands."  
>"Nice", Furrball said. "Do you have an extra amp?"<br>"I believe I do. Lemme check."  
>Cliff opened up a box &amp; searched through it. He took out a few Rush posters, but no amp. He then opened up another box &amp; searched through there.<br>"Ah-ha!", exclaimed the tan cat. "Here it is!"  
>Cliff took out the second amp &amp; extra cord &amp; gave them to Furrball. Furrball plugged the cord into his guitar &amp; the amp, then strummed his guitar, making sure it's tuned correctly. Cliff then spoke up.<br>"So, what song do you want to do first?"  
>"I don't know. What do you have in mind?"<br>Cliff thought for a moment, then asked, "How about Cygnus X-1? Do you know that song?"  
>"How does that go?"<br>"It sounds like this..."  
>Cliff started playing the rhythm of Cygnus X-1 on his bass, before realization hit Furrball.<br>"Ah, I remember now!"  
>Furrball then joined Cliff with his guitar, and they both started jamming together, playing a bit of Cygnus X-1, Book 1: The Voyage.<br>Once they both stopped, the toons all exclaimed, impressed.  
>"Nice", Babs complimented.<br>"Impressive", Buster said.  
>"That was very good", Cliff said to Furrball.<br>"Thanks", replied the blue cat.  
>"What should we do next?"<br>"Hmm...how about La Villa Strangiato?"  
>"Alright."<br>Cliff started strumming in rhythms until Furrball joined in, then the two started rocking out together. They played La Villa Strangiato for several seconds before they finished.  
>The toons were once again impressed by Furrball &amp; Cliff's guitar playing skills.<br>"Wow!", exclaimed Shirley.  
>"That was awesome", said Hamton.<br>"Bravo!", cheered Fifi.  
>"Alright", Cliff then said to Furrball, "what now?"<br>The two cats both thought for a moment, then they snapped their fingers & turned to each other.  
>"YYZ!", they exclaimed in unison, and they both started playing the song YYZ.<br>The rest of the toons watched as Furrball & Cliff were having fun rocking out, with smiles on their faces, until 30 seconds later, they both finished playing.  
>The toons applauded as Furrball &amp; Cliff turned to each other &amp; laughed happily.<br>"That was fun!", Furrball said.  
>"Yeah, sure was", Cliff replied.<br>"Hey, Cliff", Buster spoke up, "one of the things on your bucket list was to create a Rush tribute band, right?"  
>"Uh-huh."<br>"I think you two might be onto something."  
>At that moment, Marie appeared behind the toons.<br>"Hey", she said, "sounds like you guys are having fun."  
>"We are", Cliff replied, "we're having a lot of fun."<br>"I could hear you guys from downstairs. You two sound great together."  
>"Thanks, Ms. Evans", said Furrball.<br>"I'm thinking about ordering pizza. Anyone interested?"  
>The toons all exclaimed excitedly as they followed Marie downstairs &amp; ordered some pizza.<p> 


	3. Swimming at the pool

After eating pizza for lunch, Cliff invited the toons to the hotel where he & his mother are currently staying at until their new home is finished.  
>Cliff offered some fun time at the hotel's swimming pool, since it's quite a hot day.<br>Before they left, Marie gave Cliff their hotel keycards so that everyone can change into their swimwear in the hotel room.  
>One by one, the toons each changed into their swimwear in the restroom, except for Cliff, since he chose not to go swimming.<br>Furrball changed into his yellow shorts & was about to head off to the pool, until Babs spoke up.  
>"Hey Furrball", she called out, "don't leave yet."<br>"Why not?"  
>"'Cause Fifi said she has a surprise for you."<br>"Oh, really?"  
>Babs nodded in response, before the bathroom door opened. The other toons surrounded the door &amp; all exclaimed in amazement.<br>"What is it?", Furrball asked. "Lemme see."  
>As Babs &amp; Shirley stepped aside, Furrball made a face of genuine surprise.<br>"Bonjour, mon amore", said Fifi, standing in the doorway. The purple skunk is wearing a blue strapless one-piece swimsuit, with a short light blue skirt around her hip, and an image of a cat's paw print surrounded by a heart on the front.  
>Furrball stared at her girlfriend in complete awe, his eyes wide open.<br>"My goodness", Buster said in amazement.  
>"She's all, like, wow", Shirley commented.<br>"Shall we go for a swim?", Fifi asked.  
>As the toons exited the room, Fifi flirtingly brushed her tail under Furrball's chin. Furrball was on his tiptoes, before he fell forward onto his stomach, feeling lovestruck, smiling from ear to ear, tiny hearts appearing around his head.<br>"What a BABE!"

At the swimming pool, the toons were all having fun, while Cliff is sitting in a chair, reading a book on astronomy.  
>"Come on in, Cliff!", Buster called out. "The water's fine!"<br>"No thanks", Cliff replied, "I'm good."  
>"Hey guys!", a voice shouted. The toons turned to the fence &amp; saw Calamity &amp; Cosette.<br>"Sorry we are late", Cosette said.  
>"Not a problem", spoke Furrball as he climbed out of the pool.<br>"Who are these guys?", asked Cliff.  
>"This is Calamity &amp; his girlfriend Cosette."<br>"Are you Cliff?", asked Calamity.  
>"Yes. Nice to meet you."<br>As Cliff shook hands with the coyote & skunk, Cosette spoke up.  
>"Where can we get changed?"<br>"Oh, here...", Cliff said as he took one of the keycards out of his pocket & handed it to Cosette, "the room is #9."  
>"Thanks", Calamity said as he &amp; Cosette headed off to Cliff's hotel room, while Cliff returned to his seat.<br>Meanwhile, Hamton made his way to the diving board & is getting ready to jump.  
>"Uh oh", Plucky started, "better take cover guys!"<br>The toons all looked up & all started shouting out to Hamton.  
>"No, Hamton!", cried Babs.<br>"Don't do it!", shouted Buster.  
>"Bad idea!", exclaimed Furrball.<br>Hamton then started bouncing on the diving board, preparing his jump.  
>"Cannonball!", the pig shouted as he jumped into the water, creating a huge splash that got Cliff all wet.<br>"Gah, what the-?! Hamton!"  
>As Hamton poked his head out of the water, Cliff stood up all soaking wet.<br>"Darn it, Hamton, this is my favorite shirt!"  
>"Sorry Cliff", Hamton replied.<br>Cliff growled in frustration as he made his way to his hotel room.  
>"Where are you going?", asked Babs.<br>"I'm gonna get changed. I'll be back in a minute."

Back at the hotel room, Calamity is already in his red swimming trunks, while Cosette is in the bathroom, getting changed.  
>The grey coyote knocked on the door &amp; said, "Hey honey, I'm gonna head out to the pool, if that's okay with you."<br>"Okay", Cosette replied, "go right ahead. I'll see vous zhere."  
>As Calamity opened the door to leave the room, Cliff came in, still disappointed about getting wet.<br>Once Cliff changed into his extra pair of blue jeans, Cosette came out of the restroom in her red strapless swimsuit. She turned to Cliff, who's changing his shirt, and opened her eyes wide in shock upon seeing a nasty scar across the left side of Cliff's abdomen, before it got covered again by Cliff's shirt.  
>"'Ello?", Cosette asked, which startled Cliff as he gasped in surprise &amp; clutched his chest. Cosette also jumped in surprise at Cliff's reaction.<br>Cliff let out a deep exhale to calm himself down.  
>"Gosh", he started, "you scared the bejesus out of me, Fifi."<br>"I'm not Fifi", Cosette replied.  
>"Oh, uh...what's your name again?"<br>"Cosette."  
>"Colette?"<br>"Non. Cosette, weeth an S."  
>"Oh, Cosette. Sorry about that."<br>"Eet's alright. What are vous doeeng?"  
>"Changing. Hamton got me all wet with his cannonball."<br>"Why aren't vous swimeeng weeth everyone else? Eet's a tres hot day today."  
>"I know, but I don't really enjoy swimming."<br>"Why not?"  
>"Because, I like to read instead."<br>"Ooh, what are you readeeng?"  
>"A book on astronomy."<br>Cliff & Cosette then both left the room & headed back down to the swimming pool.

Later on, after spending nearly an hour in the pool, Furrball is in the restroom, taking off his swim trunks & drying himself with a towel.  
>As the blue cat was wiping off his back, the bathroom door opened &amp; Fifi appeared, still wearing her swimsuit.<br>"Oh!", Fifi exclaimed.  
>"Oh, hi Fifi", Furrball said.<br>"Sorry, I deedn't know you were een here."  
>"It's okay."<br>"Maybe I should change out here."  
>"No no, come on in."<br>"Are vous sure?"  
>"Yeah, I don't mind."<br>Fifi entered the restroom & closed the door. As the purple skunk started drying herself off with another towel, Furrball turned to her & watched with a smile.  
>He's completely fascinated by how Fifi looks in her new swimsuit. Babs said it was meant to be a surprise for Furrball, and he was indeed surprised.<br>"Man", Furrball said with a smile. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any prettier, you proved me wrong."  
>Fifi turned to Furrball &amp; replied, "Ooh, vous like my swimsuit, no?"<br>"I sure do."  
>The blue cat slowly approached his girlfriend, still smiling, until they were right next to each other.<br>"Where did you get this?", asked Furrball.  
>"I made eet myself", Fifi replied.<br>"You did?"  
>"Oui. I've been veesiting zhis clothing store, where vous can send een your own design for certain clothes."<br>"Really?"  
>"Oui oui, and ever since we've been togezher, I wanted to make somezhing as a, how you say, symbol of our relationship. So I made zhis swimsuit just for you."<br>"Wow", Furrball said, feeling astonished. He never knew that Fifi would surprise him with such a gift.  
>"May I feel it?", asked the blue cat.<br>"Sure, go right ahead."  
>Furrball placed his paws on Fifi's sides &amp; slowly ran them up &amp; down, feeling how soft &amp; smooth her bathing suit is.<br>"Wow", Furrball whispered, "it feels nice."  
>"Eet's made of 100% French cotton.", Fifi replied.<br>"Nice", said the blue cat.  
>"Also, deed vous notice zhe colors?"<br>Furrball stood back a bit & saw that both shades of blue on Fifi's swimsuit are the same colors as his fur.  
>"I do now", Furrball commented. Fifi then approached Furrball with a smile on her face.<br>"So, do vous like eet?"  
>"I do. It really suits you."<br>The cat & skunk slowly wrapped their arms around each other & made eye contact. Furrball then started purring softly, as he had a strong feeling in his body.  
>"What are vous purring for?", asked Fifi.<br>"I am so tempted to kiss you right now."  
>"Well, what are vous waiteeng for?"<br>Furrball found Fifi's voice inviting. Slowly, the cat & skunk closed their eyes & moved forward for a kiss...  
>Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, and the couple turned to see Plucky entering.<br>"Oh, snap!", exclaimed the green duck. "Uh, am I interrupting anything?"  
>Furrball wanted to say 'yes' &amp; tell Plucky to leave, but Fifi spoke first.<br>"Non. Uhh, we were just getting changed and, uh, Furrball, I think vous should leave."  
>"What?", barked Furrball, "But I-"<br>All of a sudden, Fifi got behind the blue cat & pushed him toward the door.  
>"Please", she exclaimed, "I must get changed too."<br>As Plucky watched the blue cat exit the bathroom, Fifi closed the door behind him with a SLAM!  
>"Thanks for ruining the moment, Plucky", Furrball scolded at the green duck before he walked away.<br>"What?", Plucky asked, feeling confused. "What'd I do?"  
>Furrball threw his swim trunks down in disappointment &amp; let out a frustrated sigh. He was hoping to have some romance with his sweetheart, but thanks to Plucky, it won't be happening today.<p> 


	4. Dinner with the Evans

Later on at night, once Marie & Cliff checked out of the hotel & settled into their new home, the toons were all invited for dinner. Marie's made them spaghetti with meatballs & parmesan cheese.  
>The toons are all gathered at the table, along with Marie &amp; Cliff, each with their own plates of spaghetti.<br>"So", Marie began, "how did swimming go?"  
>"It was fun", Buster replied.<br>"Oui, lots of fun", Cosette added.  
>Cliff then said, "Yeah, until Hamton got me all wet."<br>"I thought you liked swimming?", wondered Marie.  
>"Not really. I just wanted to read instead."<br>Calamity then asked, "How come you don't like to go swimming?"  
>"It's not that I don't like swimming, I just chose not to."<br>"Ah, I see."  
>"Then why did you invite everyone to go swimming, Cliff?", questioned Marie.<br>"Because it was really hot", Cliff replied, "and I wanted to hang out with my new friends."  
>Marie smiled &amp; laughed. "But wouldn't it have been cooler in the water?"<br>"Yeah, but, I didn't mind."  
>Buster then spoke up. "Hey, Ms. Evans?"<br>"Yes, Buster?"  
>"What do you do for a living?"<br>"I'm a paramedic, and I just transferred here to Acme Acres.  
>The toons all exclaimed excitedly over Marie's occupation.<br>"That's very cool!", exclaimed Furrball.  
>"Wow, so you save lives or some junk?", Shirley asked.<br>"Something like that", Marie replied with a smile.  
>Fifi then asked, "How long have vous been a paramedic?"<br>"For a long, long time, ever since I was 23 years old."  
>"Wow", Buster said, "that's very interesting."<br>"Thank you. I really love my work. I like being able to help others."  
>"Sounds like you have a better job than us", Babs said.<br>"What do you guys do?", asked Marie.  
>"We star in our own TV show", Buster answered, "called 'Tiny Toon Adventures.'"<br>"Oh, that's very cool!", Marie complimented. "Sounds like a lot of fun!"  
>"It is lots of fun indeed!", Babs commented.<br>Hamton then spoke up. "We have some friends in Burbank who have their own show, called 'Animaniacs.'"  
>"Oh, wow!", exclaimed Marie, "Sounds like you guys have a pretty fun job!"<br>"It may sound like fun", Furrball said as he twisted his fork into his spaghetti, "but trust me, it ain't easy."  
>"No? Why Not?"<br>"Well, sometimes you'd have to deal with some pretty badly written scripts for certain episodes."  
>"Oui", Fifi then said with a face of depression, "like being, how you say, constantly pursued &amp; captured by Elmyra."<br>"Who?", Cliff asked.  
>"Elmyra."<br>"Who's Elmyra?"  
>"Exactly", Furrball replied.<br>"What?"  
>"That's right."<br>Cliff raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Uhh, okay."  
>"Who is Elmyra?", Marie asked.<br>"Do we really have to talk about her?", groaned Fifi.  
>Furrball turned to Marie &amp; answered her question. "She's someone who enjoys torturing animals. You know, keeping them in small cages, hugging them so tight they can't breathe, stuff like that."<br>"Oh, that's not very nice", Marie said.  
>"And the worst part is", Plucky then said, "she ended up being the more popular character than all of us. She even had her own spin-off show with Pinky &amp; The Brain!"<br>"Oh my, really?"  
>"Sounds like someone I don't want to hang out with", Cliff said, taking a bite out of his food.<br>Shirley then told Cliff, "Like, if you ever see her, run for your life!"  
>"Okay. Advice taken."<br>"Goodness", Marie said in disbelief, "she sounds pretty awful."  
>"Can we PLEASE change zhe subject?!", Fifi yelled, pulling her hair. She's been having uncomfortable flashbacks about Elmyra hunting her down &amp; dragging her home by her tail. It was, without a doubt, the worst day of her entire life.<br>Furrball could feel her pain. Right now he felt like going to Elmyra's house just to beat the life out of her for making his girlfriend miserable.  
>"I really think we should talk about something else", Furrball said. "Hey, Cliff."<br>"Hmm?", Cliff said, with a mouthful of pasta.  
>"You interested in attending Acme Looniversity with us?"<br>Cliff took a moment to chew & swallow his food before he replied, "Is that the school you go to?"  
>"Yes", Buster answered, "and it is LOTS of fun."<br>"You can learn a lot about being a toon", Babs commented.  
>"Also", Furrball then said, "there are many talented people at Acme Loo. I reckon you might even start a Rush tribute band there."<br>"Oh, there you go, Cliff", Marie responded. "Going to Acme Looniversity sounds like a great idea."  
>"Yeah", Cliff agreed, "I think that'll be a great place to find a drummer."<br>"Well, what about a guitarist?", asked Furrball.  
>"I already have a guitarist Furrball. It's you."<br>Furrball opened his eyes wide in surprise at what he just heard. The other toons all turned to him.  
>"Me?", asked the blue cat.<br>"Yeah", Cliff replied, "after we've been rocking out earlier today, you play guitar better than anyone I know."  
>"You really think so?"<br>"Sure do. We sound great together." Cliff then turned to Marie. "Right mom?"  
>"Yep, you sure do!", Marie responded. "I think you have definitely found your guitarist, Cliff."<br>Furrball was left completely speechless. "Wow, I...I don't know what to say. I'm at a loss for words."  
>Calamity then spoke to Cliff. "So all you need is a drummer, huh?"<br>"Yep", Cliff replied, "one that can play as good as Neil Peart."  
>"What weell you call your group?", asked Cosette.<br>"Uhh...I don't know. I haven't thought of that yet."  
>"Well", Furrball said, "maybe we'll come up with a name once we find ourselves a drummer."<br>Fifi, still feeling upset about the topic of Elmyra, saw a noodle strand hanging over Furrball's plate.  
>As Furrball took a bite out of his spaghetti, Fifi took the noodle hanging over the plate, and placed it in her mouth.<br>Once she saw the strand leading to Furrball's mouth, Fifi began slurping the noodle until her lips reached his, and kissed him.  
>Everyone in the room all saw this &amp; laughed. Furrball blushed &amp; smiled at Fifi, who smiled back.<br>"Aww, that was so cute", Marie said.  
>"I needed zhat", Fifi told her boyfriend. That kiss made her feel a whole lot better.<br>As Shirley took a bite of her spaghetti, Plucky took one end of a noodle & attempted to do the same thing. However, Shirley caught Plucky in the act and, with a pair of scissors, cut the noodle in two. Shirley scolded at the green duck before Marie spoke up.  
>"Shirley, are you &amp; Plucky dating?"<br>"You could say that", Plucky said. Shirley then turned to Plucky & stamped on his foot.  
>"OWW! What was that for?!"<br>"Like, you darn well know why I did that! When will you get it through your thick skull that I am not your girlfriend &** I NEVER WILL BE!?**"  
>Shirley screamed so loud into Plucky's ears, that his eardrums literally popped out.<br>"Aah, jeez!", Cliff exclaimed as he quickly covered his ears, his fork flying out of his hand & falling to the floor. "That was murder on my eardrums, Shirley."  
>"You're telling me!", Plucky said, feeling woozy.<br>"Why do you say that, Shirley?", asked Marie. "Plucky seems like a nice duck."  
>"Like I could give you several reasons why I would never date Plucky."<br>"Would you rather date Fowlmouth instead?", Hamton questioned.  
>"Eww! No!"<br>"Who's Fowlmouth?", asked Marie.  
>"Don't ask."<br>"Why?", Cliff said. "Is he as bad as this Elmyra person?"  
>"No, he's nowhere near as bad", Buster answered. "It's just that he swears a lot."<br>"Ah, I see."  
>Marie then said, "Yep, I can see where that's a turnoff."<br>"Mm-hmm", Buster continued, "Fowlmouth swears so much, his beak has been declared a toxic waste dump."  
>Plucky then wrapped an arm around Shirley &amp; said, "So I guess this means I am your man."<br>As Plucky raised his eyebrows in a suave manner, Shirley used her telekinetic powers to whack Plucky on the head with a large wooden spoon. The green duck fell out of his chair & to the floor, unconscious.  
>"Little rat", Shirley said.<p>

After dinner was over, Cliff invited Furrball & Fifi out for a walk around the neighborhood, to talk more about Rush & their plans for making a Rush tribute band.  
>"So, Cliff", Furrball said, "how did you become a Rush fan?"<br>"When I was a kitten", Cliff replied, "my mom would always play Rush songs for me. Every night I go to bed, she would pop in a Rush CD & I'd listen until I fell asleep. Then, a few years ago on my birthday, she gave me my first Rush album, 2112. It was the best gift ever, and I still have it today, as part of my collection.  
>"That's very cool, buddy."<br>"When deed vous start playeeng guitar?", asked Fifi.  
>"Not until I was 8. My uncle bought me my first bass guitar &amp; taught me so much."<br>"Do vous steell have zhat guitar?"  
>"Nope. I sold it so I could get the Steinberger. Once I bought it, I was able to perform bass for a couple other tribute bands. I even tried working with a KISS tribute band, but wearing the makeup was awful. Gave me a terrible rash."<br>"Ouch", Furrball said, "sorry to hear that."  
>"It's alright. At least it gave me a lot of practice, playing in those other bands."<br>Cliff then reached behind himself & tried scratching his back, grieving a bit.  
>"You okay?", Furrball wondered.<br>"Yeah, I'm trying to get this itch on my back, but I can't quite reach it."  
>"I'll help", said the blue cat as he extracted his claws &amp; began scratching Cliff's back.<br>"Oh, oh-ho, ohhhhh yeah!", Cliff said in relief, "That's so much better!"  
>"Happy?"<br>"Couldn't be happier."  
>Once Furrball stopped scratching, Cliff spoke up again.<br>"It would've been easier if I could use my claws."  
>"What's wrong weeth your claws?", questioned Fifi.<br>"Did you get declawed or something?", Furrball asked.  
>"No, I still have them", Cliff answered, "I just can't extract them. I used to when I was younger, but now I can't."<br>"It's not that hard", Furrball said as he held up his hand & extracted his claws.  
>"I know, but look", Cliff replied, holding his hand up for a moment, but nothing happened. "I can't do it."<br>"How come you can't use your claws?"  
>Cliff was about to answer Furrball's question, but Fifi interrupted.<br>"Sacre bleu!", she shouted. "Zhe moon!"  
>Furrball &amp; Cliff turned to see that the moon is completely red in the sky.<br>"Whoa. What's going on?", Furrball asked, feeling a little frightened. "Why is the moon red like that?"  
>"Relax", Cliff told the couple, "it's nothing to worry about."<br>The cat & skunk turned to Cliff for explanations.  
>"Do you know why the moon is red like that?", asked the tan cat. Furrball &amp; Fifi shook their heads.<br>"It's because we are in the presence of a total lunar eclipse."  
>"A what?", asked Fifi.<br>"Right now, at this moment, the Earth is directly between the sun & the moon. The moon is red because it is covered by the Earth's shadow."  
>"Really", Furrball said. "I didn't know that. But why is it called a total lunar eclipse?"<br>"There are 2 types of lunar eclipses: partial & total. A partial eclipse is when Earth is between the sun & the moon, but the three are a bit misaligned. Because of that, the moon is covered by Earth's penumbra, or outer shadow. A total eclipse is when the Earth is perfectly between the sun & the moon, covering the moon with its umbra, or central shadow. As a result, the moon has turned red."  
>"Wow", Fifi said in amazement, "zhat eez, how you say, tres interesting."<br>"People often refer to it as a 'Blood Moon.'"  
>"I see", Furrball said, looking at the moon again.<br>"Say, Cliff", Fifi spoke up, "what's eet called when zhe moon eez between zhe sun & Earth?"  
>"It's called a solar eclipse", Cliff replied. "During a total solar eclipse, all you'll see from the sun is its corona, or outer atmosphere."<br>"Ooh, c'est magnifique, no?"  
>"Yep, it's magnificent all right."<br>The trio turned to the red moon again, staring at it for a moment before they resumed their walk.


	5. The Subdivisions

The next day, Cliff followed the toons to Acme Loo, until they stopped at the front of the school, right between the statues of Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck.  
>"Welcome to Acme Looniversity, Cliff", Buster said.<br>"Wow", Cliff said, "this place looks awesome. What's with the Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck statues?"  
>Babs answered, "They are only a couple of the entire Looney Tunes cast who are teaching here."<br>"No way!", Cliff exclaimed. "The Looney Tunes themselves are the teachers?!"  
>"You betcha!", Plucky replied.<br>"All of them", Hamton spoke. "Porky Pig."  
>"Pepe Le Pew", Fifi commented.<br>"Wile E. Coyote", said Calamity.  
>"Sylvester &amp; Tweety", Furrball then said, "you name 'em, we got 'em."<br>"Wow", Cliff said again, "I'm liking this place already."  
>"Just wait until we get inside", Buster said as the toons made their way to the front entrance &amp; opened the doors, revealing the main hall, filled with students chatting with each other, putting things in their lockers, and getting prepared for class.<br>"Whoa", Cliff said, making a face of wonder, "cool!"  
>The toons made their way down the hall &amp; headed to their first class of the day, with Bugs Bunny.<br>Once the toons entered the classroom, they spotted a few other students waiting for class to begin.  
>"Hiya, folks", Buster greeted to Monty &amp; Little Beeper, sitting at their desks.<br>"And so begins another lousy day", Monty grumbled.  
>Little Beeper, on the other hand, was staring curiously at Cliff, wondering who this new person is.<br>"Guys", Buster continued, "I'd like you to meet our newest member of Tiny Toons, Cliff Evans."  
>"Hello", Cliff greeted.<br>"Cliff, this is Montana Max & Little Beeper."  
>"Nice to meet you two", Cliff said as he shook hands with Little Beeper. The tan cat went to shake Monty's hand, but the human toon made no movement, staring at Cliff with annoyance.<br>"You're just gonna leave me hanging?", Cliff asked.  
>"I don't shake hands with strangers", Monty replied, "nor do I speak to them."<br>"You're speaking to one right now."  
>"Oh, a wise guy, huh? What makes you think you're wiser than me?"<br>"I think we all are", Buster said.  
>Monty turned to the blue bunny &amp; exclaimed, "Shut up, I wasn't talking to you!"<br>"Okay", Babs stepped in, "I think we should stop before things get out of hand."  
>The toons all turned away &amp; spotted Concord Condor sitting at his desk.<br>"Who's that guy?", asked Cliff.  
>"This is Concord Condor", Buster answered as the toons approached the purple bird. "Hiya, Concord!"<br>"Hello", greeted the purple bird.  
>"Say hello to our new friend, Cliff Evans."<br>"How's it going?", Cliff said, shaking Concord's hand. "Hey, how great is this school, on a scale of 1 to 10?"  
>Concord snickered before he replied, "I'd give this school a 12, yup yup yup yup yup."<br>"Wow", Cliff said, impressed, "he really likes this school, doesn't he?"  
>"You could say that", Buster said, "but sometimes he's...", the blue bunny then twirled a finger around the side of his head, indicating that Concord is 'cuckoo'.<br>"Ah, I see", Cliff commented. At that moment, Elmyra showed up behind the toons.  
>"Hello, my cute little bunny-wunnies!", she greeted to Buster &amp; Babs as she hugged them really tight. As the two bunnies tried to break out of Elmyra's grasp, Cliff spoke to Furrball.<br>"Is that Elmyra?"  
>"Yep, that's her", replied the blue cat.<br>Upon seeing Cliff, Elmyra released Buster & Babs, then started toward Cliff.  
>"Ooh, who's this cute little kitty-witty?"<br>"Uuhhh", Cliff said, taking a couple steps back, "you must be Elmyra, right?"  
>"Yes, my name's Elmyra Duff. What's yours?"<br>"It's Evans. Cliff Evans", the tan cat replied as he backed into a wall.  
>"You look so adorable. I'm gonna hug you &amp; cuddle you &amp; squeeze you like there's no tomorrow."<br>As Elmyra reached out for Cliff, the tan cat spun & swerved around her arms.  
>"Uh, nice meeting you Elmyra, but I think I'll, uh, take my chances elsewhere."<br>At that moment, the classroom door then opened, and everyone scrambled to their seats, as Bugs Bunny entered the room.  
>Cliff sat down at the only available spot, between Furrball &amp; Calamity.<br>"Good morning, everyone", said Bugs.  
>The class, not including Cliff, replied, "Good morning, Professor Bunny."<br>"Is everyone ready for another fun-filled day at Acme Loo?"  
>"Yeah!", the class exclaimed. As Bugs was about to turn to the chalkboard, his eyes spotted Cliff at his desk.<br>"Well, well, well", the bunny said, "it looks like we have a new student here."  
>Everyone turned their heads to Cliff, who looked back at everyone staring at him.<br>"Young man", Bugs continued, "would you please introduce yourself."  
>"Okay", Cliff started. "My name is Cliff Evans, I'm 14 years old, and my mother &amp; I just moved here yesterday."<br>"Oh, really?", Bugs asked. "From where?"  
>"South San Francisco."<br>"Well, welcome to Acme Acres, Cliff. I hope you enjoy your stay here."  
>"Thanks. Also, I'm a huge Rush fan. I collect their albums, DVDs, and I have a dream of making a Rush tribute band."<br>"That's great. Here in Acme Acres, dreams do come true."  
>"Really?"<br>"Sure do. I'd be happy to help you with your task. If you need anything, just let me know."  
>Cliff smiled &amp; turned to Furrball, who smiled back. They are getting closer &amp; closer to reaching their goal.<p>

Later on in the auditorium, Cliff & Furrball were holding an audition for people to be the drummer of their band.  
>They had a table &amp; two chairs set up on the stage, with a drum set located at the center of the stage.<br>But, so far, of all the people that attended, nobody got accepted into the group, which left Cliff feeling a little anxious.  
>"Boy", he started, "I hope we find ourselves a drummer soon."<br>"I'm sure we will", Furrball said, "it'll take some time, but we'll eventually get one."  
>At that moment, Fifi &amp; Cosette showed up.<br>"Bonjour, mes amis", Cosette greeted.  
>"Hey guys", Cliff greeted back.<br>"Any luck so far?", Fifi asked.  
>"Nope", Furrball responded.<br>"Aww, what a shame."  
>The French skunks both stood behind Furrball, who was starting to get a bit uncomfortable in his chair.<br>"Are vous alright, my love?", asked Fifi. "You look, how you say, a beet rusty, no?"  
>"Yeah, a little bit", Furrball said. Fifi then placed her hands on Furrball shoulders &amp; started massaging them. The blue cat closed his eyes &amp; smiled.<br>"Mmmm, that feels good."  
>Cliff looked on at the cat &amp; skunk for a bit, before he spoke up.<br>"You know, I've been wondering about the two of you since we first met."  
>"What do you mean?", asked Furrball.<br>"How did you two get together? I hope you don't mind me asking."  
>"No, not a problem. We've been together for, how long has it been? A few months?" Furrball turned to Fifi, who nodded in response.<br>"Oui, we've been togezher since Christmas."  
>"That's cool", Cliff commented.<br>"I was a homeless alleycat back then", Furrball continued, "Fifi went through a horrible break-up with her ex-boyfriend & I wanted to cheer her up. So I gave her this locket I found & asked her out to the Christmas Dance. Later on, she offered me to move in with her, and I gladly accepted. In return, I offered to be her new boyfriend, and she was quite happy."  
>Fifi then said, "We've been living togezher ever since. We love &amp; care for each other so much. I'm tres happy to have heem with moi."<br>"Nice", Cliff said. "Just like a married couple, huh?"  
>Furrball &amp; Fifi both made shocked expressions &amp; faced each other. Despite that they love each other very dearly, the topic of the two of them getting married seems to be too early for them. Mainly because they're too young &amp; their relationship lasted only a few months so far.<br>The cat & skunk turned back to Cliff & responded simultaneously, nervously.  
>"Um, yeah, you might say that", Furrball said.<br>"Uh, oui, I guess we kind of are", Fifi commented. Cosette started laughing as Plucky showed up.  
>"Hey guys", the green duck greeted. "You still looking for a drummer?"<br>"Yes, we are", Cliff replied.  
>"Well, I got your drummer right here", Plucky pointed to himself.<br>"Really? Do you have the skills of a drummer?"  
>"You darn right I do!"<br>"Then have a seat over there", Furrball pointed at the drum set, "and show us what you can do."  
>Plucky did as he was told, sitting behind the drums &amp; taking out a pair of drumsticks.<br>"All right", Cliff said, "let's see what you got."  
>"Okay. Uhhh...", Plucky looked around at the drums surrounding him. He did not know how to play drums at all. He was lying to Cliff &amp; Furrball for another attempt at fame.<br>Slowly, he held up his drumsticks nervously & started playing randomly. The green duck ended up playing horribly, from dropping his sticks to knocking the drums & cymbals over.  
>"Okay, alright, alright", Cliff called out, "stop, stop, stop, stop!"<br>As Plucky came to a halt, the drum set was completely wrecked. The green duck was panting, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.  
>"Did I get the part?", he asked.<br>"What do you think?", Cliff responded.  
>"Oh BOY!", Plucky shouted with joy. "I did it! I got the part!"<br>Plucky then bounced from behind the drums & in front of Cliff. "I can't wait to rock & roll with you guys! When are we gonna start? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?"  
>Cliff then clamped Plucky's beak shut with his hand &amp; faced him.<br>"Apparently, you didn't pick up on my sarcasm."  
>At that moment, the group jumped as they heard sudden drumming coming from elsewhere. It sounded fast &amp; rhythmic.<br>They turned to the stage, and the curtains opened up, revealing a mysterious figure in a large drum set, surrounding him in a complete circle.  
>"Ooh la la", Cosette said, placing her hands on her happy face, "who eez zhat wonderful person?"<br>A light shined upon the drummer, who's revealed to be...  
>"Calamity?", asked Furrball in surprise. Calamity then continued playing his drums, doing a quick solo before Plucky interrupted.<br>"Hey, cram it, bongo boy!"  
>Calamity then twirled his drumsticks around his fingers, and chucked one of them forward.<br>Furrball, Fifi, Cosette, and Cliff watched as the stick flew across the stage & struck Plucky squarely in the face, sticking between his eyes & pressing his beak down.  
>"You're despicable", Plucky said as he walked off the stage, drumstick stuck to his head.<br>Calamity then removed himself from his drum set & joined Furrball & Cliff.  
>"Calamity, dude", Cliff said, "that was remarkable! You were playing just like Neil Peart!"<br>"Thanks, Cliff", Calamity replied. "I figured you would like that."  
>"Absolutely! You're in!"<br>Cosette make a face of joy with hearts floating around her head.  
>"Yay!", she cried as she quickly went around the back of Calamity &amp; wrapped her arms &amp; tail around her boyfriend. "My leetle cutie coyote eez een a band!"<br>Cosette then kissed Calamity on his head before she continued. "I've always wanted a man weeth, how you say, tres sensational skills! You are beyond anytheeng I've ever dreamed of."  
>"Heh, thanks Cosette", Calamity said as Cosette released him. Furrball then saw Cliff shaking his head.<br>"What's wrong?", the blue cat asked Cliff.  
>"Nothing. It's just weird how you two have skunks for girlfriends."<br>"How is that weird?"  
>"Well, how do you two put up with their smell?"<br>"We don't stink anymore", Fifi responded.  
>"You don't?"<br>"Nope", Calamity then said, "I made a special potion that helps them have control over their smell."  
>Cosette then said, "And eet helped out a lot."<br>"Wow. Interesting", Cliff said. "Hey Calamity, if I happen to have a skunk for a girlfriend, make sure you give her that potion too."  
>"Will do", the grey coyote replied.<br>"So", Cliff continued, "now that we have the Dirk, Pratt, and Lerxst of the group-"  
>"Wait wait wait", Furrball interrupted, "the what, what, and what of the group?"<br>"Dirk, Pratt, and Lerxst. Those are the nicknames of each members of Rush."  
>"Oh, I see."<br>"Geddy is Dirk, Neil is Pratt, and Alex is Lerxst."  
>"So that means...I'm Lerxst."<br>"And I'm Pratt", Calamity then said.  
>"Yep", Cliff replied, "which means I'm the Dirk of the group."<br>"Some strange neecknames, no?", Cosette asked.  
>"Sort of. I'm not sure how they came up with those. Anyway, now that we're all here...we need a name for the group."<br>The five toons all got to thinking right on the spot. They all thought long & hard for a good name for their new band.  
>Moments later, Fifi came up with an idea. She whispered something into Furrball's ear, who smiled at the thought.<br>"Did you come up with one?", Cliff asked.  
>"Yes", Furrball replied. "Her favorite song is Closer To The Heart, so why don't we name it that?"<br>"That could work...but I don't want to use just the song's name for the band's name."  
>"Then how about 'Closer To Our Hearts', or 'Closer To Your Hearts?'"<br>"Maybe. Those aren't bad."  
>"What about 'The Necromancers?'", Calamity suggested.<br>"'The Necromancers?'", Cliff repeated.  
>"Yeah, after the song from Caress Of Steel?"<br>"Ah, I see. That's a good one."  
>"Nah", Furrball said, "I don't like that one."<br>"Why not?", asked Cliff.  
>"Well, don't you think that's a bit weird for us to be called 'The Necromancers?'"<br>"Ehh, I guess it does sound a bit weird."  
>"I like it", Calamity said, "I think we should vote."<br>"Okay", said Cliff, "those in favor of 'The Necromancers', raise your hand."  
>Calamity &amp; Cosette raised their hands, but the others didn't.<br>"And those who oppose."  
>Furrball, Fifi, and Cliff raised their hands.<br>"Okay, I guess 'The Necromancers' is eliminated."  
>"Darn it", Calamity said. "Ooh, how about 'The Weapons?'"<br>"Uhh, what?", Cliff asked with a disdain tone, as Furrball started laughing.  
>"How in zhe HECK deed vous come up weez zhat?", Fifi asked.<br>"Well, there's a song called The Weapon from the Signals album, isn't there?"  
>"Yeah", Cliff replied, "but don't you think that name sounds a bit...you know...risque?"<br>At that moment, Furrball, still laughing, fell sideways from his chair & onto the floor, kicking his feet in the air.  
>"Oh", Calamity made a face of embarrassment, "I didn't think of that."<br>Furrball, still on his back on the floor, continued laughing & snorting uncontrollably.  
>"You know I'm right behind vous, yes?", Cosette asked her boyfriend.<br>"Well, it probably wouldn't have mattered."  
>Cosette reacted by slapping Calamity on the head.<br>"Ow! What did you do that for?"  
>"You know we have children reading zhis story!"<br>"Sorry kids", the grey coyote said to the viewers.  
>Furrball, finally being able to regain control of himself, pulled himself up off the floor &amp; back onto the chair, wheezing.<br>"Oh man", the blue cat said, "I can't breathe."  
>"You okay, buddy?", Cliff asked.<br>"I'll be fine...just gimme a second."  
>Once the blue cat finally got his laughter to come to a halt, he took a deep breath to calm himself down.<br>"Okay, I'm fine now."  
>"Alright", Cliff said, "now can we please focus on getting a name for our group?"<br>"Sorry."  
>"Alright. Ooh, I got one. 'The New World Toons.'"<br>"Ooh, I like that one", Calamity said.  
>"'The New World Toons?'", asked Furrball.<br>"Yeah", Cliff replied, "named after the song New World Man. Have you heard of it?"  
>"I'm not sure if I remember that one."<br>"Okay, I guess we could vote for this one. Those in favor."  
>Cliff and Calamity raised their hands.<br>"Those who oppose."  
>Furrball, Fifi, and Cosette raised theirs.<br>"Dang it", Cliff exclaimed, "I liked that name."  
>"Then why don't vous use it?", questioned Cosette.<br>"Because I want a name that earns a unanimous decision from all of us."  
>Furrball then snapped his fingers. "I got it! I got it. How about this? 'The Subdivisions.'"<br>"'The Subdivisions.'", Cliff repeated.  
>"Yeah, after the song Subdivisions."<br>"Ooh, I like zhat song", Cosette exclaimed. "Zhat's probably my favorite Rush song."  
>"'The Subdivisions'", Cliff repeated again, "I like it! I think we should vote on that. Those in favor."<br>All five toons raised their hands.  
>"And those who oppose."<br>Nobody raised a hand.  
>"Then The Subdivisions is the name of our group."<br>"Yes!", Furrball exclaimed.  
>"Alright", Calamity said. As the trio all stood up, Cliff spoke again.<br>"Let's go spread the words."

Later on after school, Furrball, Fifi, Calamity, Cosette, and Cliff were walking out on campus, when Cliff spoke up.  
>"Hey Calamity, do you have a drum set back at your house?"<br>"I do", the grey coyote replied. "Why?"  
>"Okay, guys, later on today, I want to meet up with you all at Calamity's house."<br>"What time?", asked Fifi.  
>"I would say around 4:30."<br>"Wait a minute", Furrball then said, "why are we all meeting up there?"  
>"Because...we have some work to do."<p> 


	6. Working Man

The next day at school, Furrball, Calamity, and Cliff all built a small stage in the cafeteria, while under Bugs's supervision.  
>They spent the previous day over at Calamity's house, practicing all the songs from Rush's first two albums, Rush &amp; Fly By Night.<br>They were given permission to play one song during lunch. Once everything was set up & they all finished their lunch, Furrball grabbed his white Gibson ES-355, Cliff grabbed his Steinberger, and they both arrived onstage with Calamity at his drum set.  
>As everyone else continued eating, Fifi &amp; Cosette were sitting with Babs &amp; Shirley, when they saw the trio onstage with their instruments.<br>"Hey", Babs started, "looks like they're gonna play a song for us."  
>The girls all turned to the stage before Fifi spoke up.<br>"Oui, zhey have been practicing yesterday, and they were amazeeng."  
>"Just wait till vous hear Cliff sing", Cosette then said, "he's got a voice unlike any ozher."<br>At that moment, Furrball & Cliff plugged in their guitars, which made some feedback from the amps, causing everyone in the cafeteria to stop eating & turn to the stage.  
>Cliff then stepped up to a microphone to his left &amp; spoke into it.<br>"Hey everyone", he greeted, "Uhh..."  
>The tan cat started feeling a bit nervous.<br>"We're The Subdivisions, a Rush tribute band, and we would like to play a song for you. So, let's rock!"  
>At that moment, Furrball cranked up his guitar &amp; started the song. Cliff then swallowed, trying to keep his throat cleared. After a moment, he started singing.<p>

_Well, I get up at seven, yeah_  
><em>And I go to work at nine<em>  
><em>I got no time for living, yes<em>  
><em>I'm working all the time<em>

_It seems to me I could live my life_  
><em>A lot better than I think I am<em>  
><em>I guess that's why they call me<em>  
><em>They call me the working man<em>  
><em>They call me the working man<em>  
><em>I guess that's what I am<em>

As the band continued playing, Fifi, Cosette, and several of the other toons all stood from their seats & approached the stage. Cliff then continued singing.

_Well, I get home at five o'clock_  
><em>And I get myself out a nice cold beer<em>  
><em>Always seem to be wondering<em>  
><em>Why there's nothing going down here<em>

_It seems to me I could live my life_  
><em>A lot better than I think I am<em>  
><em>I guess that's why they call me<em>  
><em>The working man<em>  
><em>Yes, they call me the working man<em>  
><em>I guess that's what I am<em>

Furrball then began his solo as more toons joined the front of the stage, rocking out & having fun, while Cliff & Calamity accompanied the blue cat.  
>Once Furrball reached the end of his solo, Cliff sang again.<p>

_Well, they call me the working man_  
><em>I guess that's what I am<em>

At that moment, Cliff did a quick solo on his bass guitar, before Furrball started his second solo, with Calamity doing a rhythmic drum solo as well.  
>As the trio continued rocking &amp; playing, everyone else all stood from their seats, and would either join the front of the stage or stay where they're at.<br>Furrball started doing another guitar solo, Cliff & Calamity accompanying him, as the blue cat stepped forward in front of Fifi & Cosette.  
>A few minutes later, as Furrball came to the end of his final solo, the trio prepared themselves for the final verse of the song. Cliff then stepped up to his microphone for the final time.<p>

_I get up at seven, yeah_  
><em>And I go to work at nine<em>  
><em>I got no time for living, yes<em>  
><em>I'm working all the time<em>

_It seems to me I could live my life_  
><em>A lot better than I think I am<em>  
><em>I guess that's why they call me<em>  
><em>They call me the working man<em>  
><em>Well, they call me the working man<em>  
><em>I guess that's what I am<em>  
><em>They call me the working man<em>  
><em>I guess that's what I am<em>

Cliff stepped away from his microphone as the trio started slowing down, reaching the end of the song.  
>Furrball then started playing a note on his guitar, playing slowly &amp; worked his way up until he was playing speedily.<br>Once the blue cat finished, he jumped, signaling the band to finish the song, as the crowd started cheering.  
>As soon as the song ended, the entire cafeteria was filled with the cheers from the audience, as Furrball, Calamity, and Cliff took a bow.<br>"Thank you", Cliff said into the mike, "thank you so much."  
>Furrball removed his guitar &amp; jumped off the stage, where Fifi greeted him with a hug.<br>"Good job, mon amore!", she exclaimed as she kissed her boyfriend on his cheek. "Vous were amazeeng!"  
>"Thanks Fifi", replied the blue cat. Cliff &amp; Calamity then join the rest of the toons at the front of the stage.<br>"What do you think, guys?", asked Cliff. "How did we do?"  
>"You were awesome!", Buster said.<br>"Like, you guys totally rock", Shirley commented.  
>"That was really good", Hamton said.<br>"Thanks a lot, guys", Furrball then said. "I think we may have created one of the greatest tribute bands in the world."  
>At that moment, Sweetie Bird flew up to Furrball from behind, very stealthily.<br>"Surprise!", shouted the pink bird, which made Furrball jump. Everyone laughed as Furrball turned to Sweetie.  
>"Sweetie! What a surprise indeed."<br>"Good job up there, Furrball. You're really good on the guitar."  
>"Why, thank you, Sweetie."<br>"Hey, uh", Cliff said, "sorry to interrupt, but who's this?"  
>"Oh", Furrball replied, "this is Sweetie Bird. Sweetie, this is Cliff Evans."<br>"Oh, great", Sweetie grumbled, "another cat."  
>Cliff chuckled before he said, "Don't worry, I won't eat you."<br>"Promise?"  
>"Absolutely. I don't eat birds or mice."<br>"Hey guys", Calamity then spoke, "don't you think we should perform a show someplace else here in Acme Acres?"  
>"Like where?", Cliff asked.<br>"I dunno, maybe at a restaurant or something."  
>After a moment of thinking, Fifi spoke up.<br>"I know just zhe place."


	7. Cliff's horrible past

Later on that night, the toons were all at the French diner, with The Subdivisions getting ready to perform, since Fifi recommended the location to them.  
>Backstage, Furrball, Cliff, and Calamity were getting prepared, as the rest of the toons showed up.<br>"How are things going, guys?", Buster asked.  
>"Feeling a bit nervous", Cliff replied, "but I'll be alright."<br>"Hey Cliff?", Furrball said.  
>"Yeah?"<br>"What am I gonna wear for the show? I don't wanna go on stage with no clothes on."  
>"What about Calamity?", Babs asked.<br>"He's got something to wear."  
>The grey coyote then appeared, wearing blue jeans &amp; a black t-shirt.<br>"I don't know about you guys", he said, "but I am ready to rock."  
>"Alright", Cliff commented, "now we need to find something for Furrball to wear."<br>"I have somezhing for heem", Fifi said as she pulled out a bag & handed it to her boyfriend. The blue cat opened it, looked inside, then turned to Fifi.  
>"I'm not gonna wear this."<br>"Why not?"  
>"Because, this is a Rush tribute band, not an ACDC tribute band."  
>"What's in there?", Cliff asked.<br>"It's my schoolboy outfit."  
>"Oh, your Angus Young outfit?"<br>"Yeah."  
>Cliff laughed before he said, "I think people would like seeing you in that."<br>"I know I certainly do", Fifi responded.  
>"Well", Furrball started, "if you insist, then I guess I'll put it on."<br>And with that, Furrball stood up & made his way to another room to change into his outfit.

Furrball got changed into his outfit, wearing his complete black Angus Young outfit that he wore in the Battle of the Tribute Bands.  
>As the blue cat folded up his bag, Sweetie &amp; Sneezer appeared.<br>"Hi Furrball", greeted the little mouse.  
>"Hey guys", Furrball greeted back. "How do I look?"<br>"You look nice", Sweetie complimented. "But I wanna ask, why are you wearing that for the show?"  
>"Because Fifi wanted me to, and Cliff said that people might like it. So I thought, what the heck, might as well."<br>Sneezer giggled, but then...  
>"Uh oh...ah...ahhh..."<br>"Oh no", Sweetie exclaimed. "Take cover!"  
>Furrball made a face of fear as he frantically searched the room for something to stop Sneezer.<br>He unfolded his bag, grabbed the little mouse, and placed him in the bag before he closed it.  
>"AHH...<strong>AHHHH-CHOO!<strong>"  
>The force of the sneeze inflated the bag, but Furrball managed to keep the bag shut until it deflated. The blue cat then opened the bag &amp; released Sneezer.<br>"Phew", said Sweetie, "that was a close one."  
>Furrball then left the room, with the bag in his hand.<p>

"There he is", Plucky said as Furrball returned, clad in his outfit.  
>"Ooh la la", Fifi exclaimed, hearts appearing around her head.<br>"Do I look good?", Furrball asked Fifi.  
>"Oui, you look, how you say, ravishing."<br>"Thank you", Furrball replied as he handed the bag back to Fifi, but Dizzy then took it & ate it.  
>"Mmmm, yummy baggy", Dizzy said, rubbing his tummy.<br>"Uhh, Dizzy", Furrball started.  
>"Uh oh...ah...ahh...<strong>AHHHH-CHOO!<strong>"  
>Dizzy's sneeze caused him to spin uncontrollably on the spot, and toward Cliff, knocking him off his chair &amp; on his back.<br>Dizzy, still spinning, then crashed into a wall, creating a large hole. A moment later, Dizzy came out with his hand on his head, feeling dizzy.  
>"Bless you, Dizzy", Hamton said.<br>"I was gonna say", Furrball spoke, "Sneezer sneezed inside the bag."  
>As Cliff lifted his head, his shirt was lifted up slightly, revealing his waist, and the scar on his abdomen.<br>"What is THAT?!", Buster exclaimed with a face of shock. Everyone else all turned to Cliff & were surprised upon seeing his scar.  
>"Aagh!", Elmyra yelled.<br>"Oh my gosh!", Shirley chirped.  
>"Sacre pew!", Fifi gasped.<br>"Holy crabcakes!", shouted Plucky.  
>Cliff looked around quickly, before he immediately pulled his shirt back down.<br>"Cliff?", Furrball asked, feeling stupefied. "Was that a scar on your stomach?"  
>"Yeah, what happened?", questioned Babs.<br>"How deed vous get eet?", asked Cosette.  
>Cliff made a face of defeat. He knew he couldn't hide it any longer. Slowly, he got to his feet &amp; pulled his shirt up again, showing his scar to everyone.<br>Sneezer & Sweetie didn't see it before, but once they did, they both made faces of revolt.  
>Sneezer started stammering before he fell backwards &amp; passed out.<br>"I think I'm gonna be sick", Sweetie said, before she placed a hand over her mouth & gagged. She then quickly zoomed out of the room.  
>As the toons all moved in for a closer look at Cliff's scar, Calamity spoke up.<br>"What on earth happened?"  
>"Do you guys really wanna know?", Cliff asked. The toons all nodded in response. Cliff sighed &amp; pulled his shirt down again.<br>"I was kinda hoping I wouldn't talk about this. It's something really horrible that happened to me in the past."  
>"Please tell", Hamton said, "we'd like to know."<br>Cosette then said, "Vous don't have to tell us eef you don't feel comfortable about eet."  
>After a moment of hesitation, Cliff finally spoke up.<br>"Back then, when I was only 4 years old, I was diagnosed with neuroblastoma."  
>"What's that?", asked Furrball.<br>"Cancer."  
>All the toons gasped in horror at the one word.<br>"You had cancer?", Shirley asked.  
>"Yep. I spent almost a whole year in the hospital. I had chemotherapy, a bone-marrow transplant, surgery. It was awful."<br>"Then that's a surgical scar?", Plucky asked.  
>"Yep. I had my left adrenal gland removed, since that's where the tumor was."<br>"So, now you have only one adrenal gland, right?", questioned Calamity.  
>"That's right, and because of that, I can get easily exhausted. All those months I spent in the hospital were nothing but pain &amp; misery. The doctors didn't think I would live. They even told my mom &amp; dad to set up a funeral for me. Everyone thought I was going to die. But, against all odds, I managed to pull through &amp; beat the cancer, and I've been a cancer survivor ever since."<br>The toons all made faces of surprise & sorrow. None of them knew about Cliff's past, and after what he just told them, they all had heavy sympathy for him.  
>"Cliff", Fifi said, tears appearing in her eyes, "eez zhis all true?"<br>"Yep, it is."  
>At that moment, Fifi approached Cliff, gave him a kiss on his cheek, and hugged him.<br>"I'm so sorwy, Cliff", Fifi said softly, tears going down her face.  
>"We all are, buddy", Buster said as several of the toons all went up to comfort Cliff, rubbing his shoulders &amp; patting his back. Once Fifi released Cliff, Cosette then gave him a hug &amp; a kiss on his cheek.<br>"Don't worry about it, guys", Cliff told the toons as they all backed away, "it's all in the past. I'm fine now. Though, after what happened back then...", he placed his hand on his stomach, over his scar, "I'll never be the same ever again."  
>After a moment, Babs spoke up.<br>"Wow, Cliff. You are very, very lucky to be alive."  
>"She's right, Cliff", Shirley then said, "you are a living miracle."<br>"I know", Cliff said, "and I'm happy to be alive."  
>"Why didn't you tell us this before?", Buster asked.<br>"Because every time I tell this to people, I get painful memories of what I had to go through back then. This is why I didn't want to go swimming with you guys, so you wouldn't see my scar."  
>"How much do you remember?", questioned Plucky.<br>"Some of it. Mostly I remember being in the operating room, with all the doctors around me, getting ready to do surgery."  
>"Were you afraid?", Hamton then asked.<br>"Not really. Believe it or not, no one told me anything. All I knew was that my parents took me to the hospital because I was sick. They didn't say anything about me having cancer, because they didn't want me to get scared. People who get scared while having cancer would end up dying, and those who aren't afraid would live to tell the tale. I wasn't scared at all. I was brave, I was strong, and I won the battle."  
>"That's incredible, buddy", Furrball commented.<br>"Indeed it is", said Calamity, "being a cancer survivor is a very special thing."  
>"I know it is", Cliff replied. "Also, while I was in the hospital, I was given one free wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I didn't use it until just a couple years ago."<br>"What was your wish?", Plucky asked.  
>"I wished to meet Rush in person."<br>"Wait, you mean...?", Furrball started.  
>"Yep. That's how my mom &amp; I met Rush."<br>The toons all exclaimed in amazement, before Cosette spoke up.  
>"How deed vous get zhe cancer in zhe first place?"<br>"I don't know", Cliff answered. "Some people said I was probably born with it, but I don't think that's true."  
>Fifi then asked, "Eez zhis why you can't use your claws anymore?"<br>"Yep. The chemotherapy messed up my nervous system, so there are a few things I could do back then that I can't do anymore."  
>"Well, hey", Buster then said, "at least you're still alive, buddy."<br>"Yeah, that's all that matters."  
>At that moment, the restaurant manager, a French man in a tuxedo, showed up.<br>"Is everyone ready?", he asked.  
>"I think we're good to go", Cliff replied.<br>As the manager left, Fifi gave Furrball a kiss.  
>"Good luck, mon amore."<br>"Thanks, sweetheart."  
>Cosette then gave Calamity a kiss.<br>"Have fun, mon cuite coyote."  
>"I will, honey."<br>Cliff had witnessed both kisses, and as the toons started leaving, Cliff said, "Aw, no good luck kiss for me."  
>Fifi &amp; Cosette turned to each other &amp; smiled. They both went up to Cliff &amp; kissed his cheeks.<br>"Oh! He-he-he-he-he", Cliff exclaimed, before the French skunks followed the rest of the toons out of the room.


	8. 2112

As the toons all took a seat at different tables, the manager stepped up on stage & to the microphone.  
>"Good evening, Mesdames et Messieurs", he said, "tonight's performance is from a brand new tribute band, created by 3 talented people. Please welcome to the stage, The Subdivisions."<br>Everyone in the restaurant applauded as Furrball & Cliff stepped up on stage, and Calamity sat down behind his drums.  
>"Hey everyone", Cliff spoke into the mike, "how's it going?"<br>Nobody in the restaurant responded, making Cliff feel a bit awkward.  
>"Uhh, we are The Subdivisions, a Rush tribute band, and we're gonna play some rock 'n' roll for ya. So, let's do this."<br>At that moment, the stage went dark, and the room is filled with sci-fi sounds, while a single white light shined on the back of the stage.  
>As the sci-fi sounds came to an end, the light grew bigger until it took the form of the 2112 emblem; a naked man facing toward a star.<br>At that moment, the band started playing the 2112 Overture, with the lights blinking in sync with their notes, before they revealed the trio on stage.  
>About a minute &amp; a half after the band started, Furrball &amp; Cliff gave each other a single nod, and they all started rocking out, accompanied by Calamity's skillful drum-playing.<br>The 2112 Overture foreshadows the rest of the song, which is about the rise of the Solar Federation, who took over Earth in the year 2112 after mankind, referred to as the Elder Race, seem to be extinct.  
>The songs also focuses on a single man, known as the Protagonist, who reflects on how they've had peace since 2062, when the surviving planets were banded together under the Red Star of the Solar Federation, and how life with the Federation seems to be perfect, until he made a certain discovery.<br>Furrball then started his first solo, with Calamity & Cliff assisting him to his second solo, then his third, until Furrball & Cliff met again at the center of the stage.  
>As the trio got near the end of the first part of the song, Furrball stepped forward for the final solo of the 2112 Overture. Once he finished, he backed away &amp; fog shot upward from the front of the stage.<br>Once the music & the fog settled, Cliff stepped up to his mike.

_And the meek shall inherit the earth_

Furrball thrust his head upward to remove his hat as the band began the second part of the song: The Temples of Syrinx.  
>This part of the song's about the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx, who manage the Solar Federation.<p>

_We've taken care of everything_  
><em>The words you read, the songs you sing<em>  
><em>The pictures that give pleasure to your eye<em>  
><em>It's one for all and all for one<em>  
><em>We work together, common sons<em>  
><em>Never need to wonder how or why<em>

_We are the Priests_  
><em>Of the Temples of Syrinx<em>  
><em>Our great computers<em>  
><em>Fill the hallowed halls<em>  
><em>We are the Priests<em>  
><em>Of the Temples of Syrinx<em>  
><em>All the gifts of life<em>  
><em>Are held within' our walls<em>

_Look around this world we made_  
><em>Equality our stock in trade<em>  
><em>Come and join the Brotherhood of Man<em>  
><em>Oh, what a nice contented world<em>  
><em>Let the banners be unfurled<em>  
><em>Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand<em>

_We are the Priests_  
><em>Of the Temples of Syrinx<em>  
><em>Our great computers<em>  
><em>Fill the hallowed halls<em>  
><em>We are the Priests<em>  
><em>Of the Temples of Syrinx<em>  
><em>All the gifts of life<em>  
><em>Are held within' our walls<em>

As the second part of the song came to an end, Furrball held up his right hand in the air, before ending gently on an acoustic guitar, mounted on a stand & positioned horizontally.  
>The crowd then cheered, as well as the toons, as the band prepared to begin the third part of 2112: The Discovery.<br>It's about how the Protagonist discovers a guitar in a cave & plays it himself.  
>As Furrball started tuning his guitar, with the sound of a waterfall accompanying him, Fifi stood up &amp; approached the stage.<br>Furrball noticed Fifi's appearance & smiled, before Cosette, Buster, and Babs join the purple skunk.  
>Once Furrball tuned his acoustic guitar to the way he wanted it, he began playing a slow, gentle rhythm, before Cliff started singing again, singing the words of the song's protagonist.<p>

_What can this strange device be?_  
><em>When I touch it, it gives forth a sound<em>  
><em>It's got wires that vibrate, and give music<em>  
><em>What can this thing be that I found?<em>

Furrball then started playing slightly faster, a few more toons joining the front of the stage, the blue cat playing happily, as Cliff resumed singing.

_See how it sings like a sad heart_  
><em>And joyously screams out its pain<em>  
><em>Sounds that build high like a mountain<em>  
><em>Or notes that fall, gently like rain<em>

_I can't wait to share this new wonder_  
><em>The people will all see its light<em>  
><em>Let them all make their own music<em>  
><em>The Priests praise my name on this night<em>

At that note, the fourth part of the song, titled Presentation, has started, as the rest of the toons joined the stage, along with a few people.  
>It's when the Protagonist shows the Priests the guitar he found &amp; expected joy, but ended up getting rejection.<br>When the protagonist tries to convince the Priests that the world could use some of this beauty he discovered, the Priests dismiss him & destroys the guitar.  
>Furrball &amp; Cliff played both roles of the conversation in the song, using gentle, low-pitched vocals &amp; clean, soft rock guitar to represent the Protagonist, and harsh, high-pitched vocals and distorted, hard rock guitar to represent the Priests.<p>

_I know it's most unusual_  
><em>To come before you so<em>  
><em>But I've found an ancient miracle<em>  
><em>I thought that you should know<em>  
><em>Listen to my music<em>  
><em>And hear what it can do<em>  
><em>There's something here as strong as life<em>  
><em>I know that it will reach you<em>

_Yes, we know_  
><em>It's nothing new<em>  
><em>It's just a waste of time<em>  
><em>We have no need for ancient ways<em>  
><em>Our world is doing fine<em>  
><em>Another toy that helped destroy<em>  
><em>The Elder Race of Man<em>  
><em>Forget about your silly whim<em>  
><em>It doesn't fit the plan, no!<em>

_I can't believe you're saying_  
><em>These things just can't be true<em>  
><em>Our world could use this beauty<em>  
><em>Just think what we might do<em>  
><em>Listen to my music<em>  
><em>And hear what it can do<em>  
><em>There's something here as strong as life<em>  
><em>I know that it will reach you<em>

_Don't annoy us further_  
><em>Oh, we have our work to do<em>  
><em>Just think about the average<em>  
><em>What use have they for you?<em>  
><em>Another toy that helped destroy<em>  
><em>The Elder Race of Man<em>  
><em>Forget about your silly whim<em>  
><em>It doesn't fit the plan<em>

At that moment, Furrball begin playing a ripping solo on his electric guitar, playing like mad, Cliff & Calamity assisting him, until the end of part 4 of the song.  
>And so began part 5, titled Oracle: The Dream, with a few more people joining the front of the stage.<br>In this part, the Protagonist, after upsetting the Priests, wanders home & has a vision of the past & the future. He believes it to be a dream, but an oracle appears & shows him how Earth was before the Federation. How Earth was ruled by the Elder Race.  
>The Protagonist believes that, compared to what the planet has become now &amp; back then, life was meaningless. He also learns that the Elder Race is not extinct, but they are someplace else, as they left Earth long ago &amp; hope to return one day &amp; bring down the Temples &amp; win back Earth.<p>

_I wandered home though the silent streets_  
><em>And fell into a fitful sleep<em>  
><em>Escape to realms beyond the night<em>  
><em>Dream, can't you show me the light<em>

_I stand atop a spiral stair_  
><em>An oracle confronts me there<em>  
><em>He leads me on, light years away<em>  
><em>Through astral nights, galactic days<em>

_I see the works of gifted hands_  
><em>That grace this strange and wondrous land<em>  
><em>I see the hand of man arise<em>  
><em>With hungry mind and open eyes<em>

_They left the planet long ago_  
><em>The Elder Race still learn and grow<em>  
><em>Their power grows with purpose strong<em>  
><em>To claim the home where they belong<em>  
><em>Home to tear the Temples down<em>  
><em>Home to change<em>

Everyone applauded again as part 5 ended, and part 6, titled Soliloquy, started, with the sound of the waterfall playing again, as Furrball played gentle notes on his electric guitar.  
>This part of the song explains the Protagonist's fate, how he imagined living life in the hands of the Elder Race instead of the Federation. He decided to end his own life, to live out his in the world of his dream, and know peace at last.<p>

_The sleep is still in my eyes_  
><em>The dream is still in my head<em>  
><em>I heave a sigh, and sadly smile<em>  
><em>And lie a while in bed<br>I wish that it might come to pass_  
><em>Not fade like all my dreams<em>

_Just think of what my life might be_  
><em>In a world like I have seen<em>  
><em>I don't think I can carry on<em>  
><em>Carry on this cold and empty life<em>

Cliff emitted an impossibly high-pitched scream as Furrball played a long, powerful guitar solo.  
>The rest of the customers around the restaurant all either joined the crowd in front of the stage &amp; stood at their tables, as Cliff sang the final lines of the whole song.<p>

_My spirits are low, in the depths of despair_  
><em>My lifeblood...spills over...<em>

At that moment, Furrball began the final part of 2112: The Grand Finale, which foreshadows the events of the Elder Race returning to Earth, destroying the Temples & defeating the Federation to win the planet back.  
>Furrball, Calamity, and Cliff were rocking out as they played in an upbeat, hard rock style. Furrball then got on his knees, playing his final guitar solo.<br>As Furrball stood, the trio began the conclusion of the song, playing slowly & speeding up, the lights flashing in a swirl of colors, as a mysterious voice is heard in a PA-style voice.

_Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation_  
><em>Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation<em>  
><em>Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation<em>  
><em>We have assumed control<em>  
><em>We have assumed control<em>  
><em>We have assumed control<em>

As the song came to an end, the number 2112 was boldly shown at the back of the stage, as the whole restaurant is filled with loud cheers & applause from the crowd & the toons.  
>Calamity hopped out from behind his drums &amp; joined Furrball &amp; Cliff, and the trio bowed to the audience, before they left the stage &amp; headed backstage.<p> 


	9. A big surprise

As Furrball, Cliff, and Calamity settled backstage, the toons all rushed in, cheering.  
>"That was AWESOME!", Babs shouted.<br>"You guys rock!", exclaimed Sweetie.  
>"Fantastic job!", said Dizzy.<br>"Thanks a lot, guys", Cliff replied. "Glad you all enjoyed it."  
>"You got one heck of a voice, Cliff!", Buster said.<br>Shirley then said, "Yeah, like, you totally got the voice of Geddy Lee."  
>"How are you able to hit the high notes like that?", asked Hamton.<br>"It may seem difficult", Cliff answered, "but being a cat has its advantages."  
>At that moment, the manager appeared again.<br>"Clifford?", the manager spoke, "You have a guest."  
>The toons all turned to the manager as he stepped aside. Another man then entered the room. He appeared to be a middle-aged man, with short silky blonde hair &amp; wearing glasses.<br>"Hello", greeted the man.  
>"Hi", Cliff said, wondering who this man is.<br>"Are you The Subdivisions?"  
>"Yes. And you are...?"<br>"The name's Ray Danniels. Does that sound at all familiar to you?"  
>The toons all shook their heads, but realization has struck Cliff, as he made a face of joyous surprise.<br>"Wait a minute", Cliff said, "Ray Danniels, the manager of Rush?!"  
>"Yep, that's me."<br>The toons all gasped in amazement & made faces of joy & surprise.  
>"Oh my gosh, no way!", Cliff exclaimed as he shook hands with Ray.<br>"What are you doing here in Acme Acres?", Buster asked.  
>"I was summoned here by Bugs Bunny", Ray responded.<br>"You know Bugs Bunny?", questioned Babs.  
>"Yep, as well as the rest of the Looney Tunes, since 1989."<br>"1989?", Cliff said, "That's the year Rush released the Presto album."  
>"That's right. You're a bright young man, aren't you?"<br>"I've been a Rush fan for nearly my whole life."  
>"I can tell. You're like a miniature Geddy Lee up there."<br>Cliff blushed at the compliment, smiling, before Ray continued.  
>"Anyway, Bugs gave me a call &amp; told me to come here to Acme Acres to check you guys out, and you guys really rocked the house tonight."<br>"Thanks, Ray", Cliff responded.  
>"So, what are your names?"<br>"Oh, I'm Cliff, this is Furrball & Calamity."  
>"Hello", Furrball greeted as he &amp; Calamity shook Ray's hand.<br>"Hey, Mr. Danniels", Calamity spoke up.  
>"Yes?"<br>"Does Rush know Bugs Bunny too?"  
>"They do, as a matter of fact."<br>Cliff then asked, "Will they be able to check us out?"  
>"Maybe. Anything's possible."<br>"Oh, I hope so. I would love to meet them again."  
>"You've met them before?"<br>"Yeah, a few years ago in Concord, with my mother."  
>"Oh, very cool."<br>"He's a cancer survivor", Shirley told Ray.  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah", Cliff replied, ignoring the memories appearing in his head. "My mom & I met Rush via the Make-A-Wish Foundation."  
>"Ah, very nice!", Ray said with a smile. "You're quite a lucky little fella, eh?"<br>"You could say that."  
>"Anyway, great job on the show tonight. You three were amazing."<br>"Thanks, Mr. Danniels", Furrball replied.  
>"Who's your manager?"<br>"Our manager?", asked Cliff.  
>"You don't have a band manager?"<br>"Not at the moment, no."  
>"Oh. Well-"<br>At that moment, Plucky stepped forward, clad in a business suit & holding a briefcase.  
>"I'm the band manager here!", exclaimed the green duck as he shook Ray's hand. "The name's Plucky Duck, band manager &amp; star of Tiny Toon Adventures!"<br>"Buzz off, feathers", Furrball said as he pulled on a rope hanging from the ceiling, which caused an anvil to fall from above & land on Plucky, sending the green duck through the floor with a CRASH!  
>After a moment, Plucky asked, "Why must I be the anvil magnet?"<br>"Because it's part of your contract", Buster explained.  
>"What?! Bull!"<br>"No bull. It's in the fine print."  
>Plucky's hand appeared through the hole as he said, "Let me see that contract."<br>Buster then gave him his Tiny Toons contract, and the green duck took & read it.  
>"Aw, son of a..."<br>"Told ya."  
>"I must speak to my agent about this."<br>"You don't have an agent, dummy", Monty said.  
>"Note to self: read the darned fine print next time."<br>Ray then turned back to The Subdivisions & spoke again.  
>"So, no band manager?"<br>"I'm afraid we don't have one", Cliff replied.  
>"Well, you should find one soon. That way, you'll be able to arrange &amp; perform more shows &amp; even make some money."<br>"We'll see what we can do", Calamity said.  
>"Okay." Ray then looked at his watch, "Ooh, I gotta get going. It's nice to meet you all and, once again, great job out there tonight."<br>"Thanks a lot, Ray", Cliff replied, "we're glad you enjoyed the show."  
>"We hope to see you again at another show", Furrball then said.<br>"We'll see. Like I said, anything's possible."  
>After Ray said goodbye to the toons, he turned &amp; left the room, before Cliff spoke up.<br>"Wow, what a night we had tonight."  
>"Indeed", Furrball then said, "we got to play onstage again &amp; meet Rush's band manager."<br>"All we need to do is find our own band manager", Calamity commented.  
>"Like, who do you guys have in mind?", asked Shirley.<br>"Anyone but Plucky", Cliff answered.  
>"What?!", Plucky exclaimed, poking his head out of the hole in the floor. "You're making a horrible mistake! I, for one, am a great band manager, and I think you're making the wrong move here."<br>As Plucky continued his rant, Cliff sighed, then nodded to Furrball, giving him the cue to pull on the rope again & drop another anvil on Plucky.  
>The green duck then raised his battered &amp; bruised head out of the hole before speaking again.<br>"Why do I keep taking these anvils to the head?"  
>"It's all part of the script", Buster answered.<br>"The script?!"  
>"Mm-hmm", the blue bunny replied as he took out the Tiny Toons script &amp; opened it to the scene they're currently at.<br>"And according to this script, you'll be taking another anvil to the head in 3...2...1."  
>Right on cue, a third anvil fell from the ceiling &amp; landed on Plucky. This time, his beak remained in the room with the toons as the anvil forced the rest of Plucky back through the hole.<br>Plucky's beak then gave a sigh of defeat. "I quit my job."


	10. A divine beauty

The next day at Acme Loo, Cliff is walking down the hallway with Furrball, Fifi, Calamity, and Cosette. They're all talking about who to hire to be their band manager.  
>"What about Montana Max?", Furrball suggested. "Ray said last night that if we had a band manager, we'd make some money off the shows we perform. I think Monty would like that, being a rich kid &amp; all."<br>"That's a great idea", Cliff commented. "We should meet up with him & see if he's interested."  
>"I'm sure he weell be interested", Fifi said. "After all, he'll do anyzhing to get more money. Even if it means putteeng others een danger."<br>"Right. By the way, Cosette, I forgot to ask. Are you & Fifi sisters?"  
>"We're cousins", Cosette replied.<br>"Ah, I see. You two look & sound alike."  
>"We are alike een many ways", Fifi commented.<br>As the group continued walking, Cliff faced forward, then stopped in his tracks & gazed upon the sight he sees.  
>Up ahead is a small, female cat, with tan fur, and mid-length, wavy black hair with a white headband. She's wearing a black leather jacket &amp; pants with white sneakers.<br>Cliff stared at the beauty in front of him in amazement, watching her put things away in her locker. He has never seen such a beautiful girl in his entire life.  
>"Cliff?", Furrball spoke up, waving a hand in front of him. "Cliff? Hello?"<br>"Wow", Cliff said in astonishment, "she's so pretty."  
>The others turned to the female cat Cliff is staring at, before Cosette spoke up.<br>"Ooh, eet looks like somebody eez een love, no?"  
>Upon hearing that comment, Cliff quickly snapped out of his lovestruck mood &amp; turned to Cosette.<br>"What? No!"  
>"Yes you do. You love her."<br>"I don't love her. I'm just...amazed by how pretty she looks."  
>"If that's the case", Calamity started, "then why don't you go talk to her?"<br>"Why? I- ah, um", Cliff stammered, "why should I go talk to her?"  
>Furrball then said, "Isn't one of the things on your list having a girlfriend who's also a Rush fan, like you?"<br>"Well, yeah, but I'm not sure if I could do this."  
>"Come on, Clifford", Fifi said, "don't be, how you say, a scaredy cat."<br>At that moment, Fifi shoved Cliff forward, much to his chagrin. He turned back to the group, who all signaled him to go up to the female cat & say hello to her.  
>Feeling like he has no other choice, Cliff took a deep breath &amp; slowly approached the female cat, feeling his heart pounding.<br>Cliff cleared his throat & spoke up. "Uh...hi." The female cat turned to Cliff.  
>"'Ello", she greeted in a British accent.<br>"Uhh...", Cliff started. He's feeling so nervous, he's unable to think clearly. "Hey, uh, do you like Rush?"  
>"Do I like Rush?"<br>Cliff nodded his head.  
>"No, I don't like Rush."<br>Cliff hung his head down in defeat, feeling depressed.  
>"I love Rush", said the female cat, which made Cliff bring his head back up in surprise. "They're the best band in the world."<br>"They are indeed", Cliff replied, feeling more confident now, "Rush is one of my favorite bands."  
>"Mine too."<br>"What's your favorite song?"  
>"Time Stand Still. What's yours?"<br>"Oh man, there are too many songs to choose from. Marathon, The Camera Eye, Far Cry. I love them all."  
>"Say, you look sorta familiar."<br>"Oh, I'm part of a Rush tribute band, called The Subdivisions."  
>"Ah, that's right, you're the one that sang Working Man yesterday."<br>"Yep, that's me."  
>"You got a very nice voice."<br>Cliff blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."  
>"What's your name, by the way?"<br>"Evans. Cliff Evans. What's yours?"  
>"It's Heather."<br>"Heather. Is that it or do you have a last name?"  
>Heather hesitated for a moment, before she smiled at Cliff. "Divine."<br>"Divine?"  
>"Yep."<br>"Heather Divine?"  
>"Mm-hmm."<br>"Wow, that's a...divine name."  
>Heather giggled. "Thank you."<br>Cliff smiled back at Heather before she spoke again.  
>"I gotta get going. I'll see you later."<br>"Okay. Bye."  
>Heather then picked up her backpack &amp; walked away from Cliff, heading off to class. He watched with a smile until he returned to his friends.<br>"So, how'd it go?", Furrball asked.  
>"It couldn't have gone better."<br>"What did she say?", questioned Cosette.  
>"Her name is Heather, and she's also a Rush fan."<br>"Looks like you might have yourself a girlfriend here", Calamity commented.  
>"Maybe. But I'm not convinced I won her heart yet."<br>Fifi then asked, "What are vous goeeng to do now?"  
>"Well, I'm gonna try to win her heart", Cliff replied, before he pointed to Furrball &amp; Calamity, "and I want you two to help me."<br>"You wanna play a song to her?", Furrball said.  
>"Yes, and I know just the one."<br>"Which one?", Calamity asked.  
>Cliff smiled before he replied, "We'll practice it during break time."<p> 


	11. Time Stand Still

Later on at lunch, The Subdivisions set up their stage in the cafeteria again. This time, they're allowed to keep the stage set up, since they're proven to be quite popular very quickly.  
>Once they finished eating, Furrball, Cliff, and Calamity all got up on stage &amp; prepared themselves. The only thing that's different from last time is that there are keyboard-style synthesizers placed at Furrball's side of the stage, which he will play during the song's chorus, along with his own microphone to provide backing vocals.<br>Once Cliff plugged in his guitar, he spoke into his microphone.  
>"Hey everyone", he started, as everyone turned their heads toward the stage. "We're back with another song we'd like to play, and I dedicate this one to Heather Divine."<br>Heather, who's sitting very near the stage, smiled as the band started playing the song. Cliff spotted Heather & smiled at her before he started singing.

**(bold words are sung by both Cliff & Furrball)**

_I turn my back to the wind_  
><em>To catch my breath, before I start off again<em>  
><em>Driven on without a moment to spend<em>  
><em>To pass an evening with a drink and a friend<em>

_I let my skin get too thin_  
><em>I'd like to pause, no matter what I pretend<em>  
><em>Like some pilgrim, who learns to transcend<em>  
><em>Learns to live as if each step was the end<em>

_I'm not looking back, but I want to look around me now_  
><em>See more of the people and the places that surround me now<em>  
><em>Time stand still<em>

_Freeze this moment a little bit longer_  
><em>Make each sensation a little bit stronger<em>  
><strong><em>Experience slips away<em>**  
><strong><em>Experience slips away<em>**  
><em>Time stand still<em>

_I turn my face to the sun_  
><em>I close my eyes, let my defenses down<em>  
><em>All those wounds that I can't get unwound<em>

_I let my past go too fast_  
><em>No time to pause, if I could slow it all down<em>  
><em>Like some captain, whose ship runs aground<em>  
><em>I can wait until the tide comes around<em>

_I'm not looking back, but I want to look around me now_  
><em>See more of the people and the places that surround me now<em>

_Freeze this moment a little bit longer_  
><em>Make each sensation a little bit stronger<em>  
><em>Make each impression a little bit stronger<em>  
><em>Freeze this motion a little bit longer<em>  
><strong><em>The innocence slips away<em>**  
><strong><em>The innocence slips away<em>**  
><em>Time stand still<em>  
><em>Time stand still<em>

Furrball then stepped up to play his guitar solo, as Cliff at Heather, who smiled back.  
>After nearly a minute of playing the guitar solo, Furrball stepped up to the synthesizers for the final time before Cliff resumed singing.<p>

_I'm not looking back, but I want to look around me now_  
><em>See more of the people &amp; the places that surround me now<em>  
><em>Time stand still<em>

_Summer's going fast, nights growing colder_  
><em>Children growing up, old friends growing older<em>  
><em>Freeze this moment a little bit longer<em>  
><em>Make each sensation a little bit stronger<em>  
><strong><em>Experience slips away<em>**  
><strong><em>Experience slips away<em>**  
><em>The innocence slips away<em>

As the song ended, the crowd cheered as The Subdivisions bowed to them. The trio then jumped off the stage & joined the rest of the toons.  
>"Good job, guys", Buster said.<br>"Thanks", Furrball replied, "that's the first time I've played multiple instruments onstage."  
>"You pulled it off quite well", Calamity then said.<br>"Thank you", Furrball said to Calamity. At that moment, Heather appeared next to Cliff.  
>"'Ello, Cliff", she greeted.<br>"Hey, Heather", Cliff replied. "What did you think of our performance?"  
>"It was perfect. I love your voice."<br>Cliff blushed bright red & replied, "Heh, it's nothing. That was all for you. I hope you enjoyed it."  
>"I did. I loved it."<br>"Great", Cliff said, before he started scratching the back of his head nervously. "Hey, uh...would you like to hang out with me after school?"  
>"You mean go on a date?"<br>"Well, since you put it that way, sure. You & me, on a date."  
>"I'm all yours."<br>"Awesome!", Cliff exclaimed as the rest of the toons all smiled. "I'll see you after school."  
>"Sure thing."<br>Heather then left the group as Cliff turned back to the toons.  
>"Congratulations, buddy", Furrball said, "you now have yourself a girlfriend."<br>"One that's a Rush fan too", Calamity added.  
>"Yep", Cliff replied, "which reminds me..."<br>Cliff then pulled out his notepad & pen, then opened up to his bucket list. Using his pen, he crossed out "_Have a girlfriend who's also a Rush fan_" and "_Create a Rush tribute band._"  
>"My bucket list is now complete", Cliff said with a smile.<p> 


	12. Preparing for another show

Later on after school, Buster invited Cliff & Heather to a trip somewhere. He didn't say where, because he wanted to keep it a surprise. Buster called for a taxi & they all headed to their destination.  
>Once the cab pulled up to the front of Warner Bros. Studio, Buster, Cliff, and Heather all stepped out.<br>"Keep the change", Buster told the driver, before he drove off.  
>"Where the heck are we?", asked Cliff.<br>"We are at the one & only Warner Bros. Studio, here at the heart of Burbank, California."  
>As the trio stepped inside, Heather spoke up.<br>"Why are we here, Buster?"  
>"Well, in order to have the two of you become a permanent part of our cast, you'll have to talk to someone here. Someone who runs our show."<br>"Who is it?", Cliff asked.  
>"You'll see."<br>As the trio entered one of the warehouses, there were several crew members doing their daily routines; moving props, setting up cameras, testing equipments, and so on.  
>Up ahead, the trio spotted Slappy the Squirrel headed their way.<br>"Hiya Slappy", Buster greeted.  
>"Well, well", Slappy responded, "if it ain't Buster Bunny, and a couple of cats."<br>"Guys", Buster turned to Cliff & Heather, "this is Slappy the Squirrel. You might recognize her from Animaniacs. Slappy, this is Cliff Evans & Heather Divine, our newest members of Tiny Toon Adventures."  
>"Ah, a couple of new characters for your show, eh?"<br>"Yep, and they will be a permanent addition once I talk to you-know-who."  
>"I see."<br>"Any advice for us newcomers?", asked Heather.  
>"Yeah, watch out for paparazzi. Those twits will do anything to get in your way."<br>"Advice taken", Cliff responded.  
>"Do you have any special talents?"<br>"I'm part of a Rush tribute band, called The Subdivisions."  
>"Rush, eh? Good choice. Such a great band."<br>"What's your favorite song?"  
>"Heh, definitely Tom Sawyer. No other song can top that one."<br>"You got that right."  
>"Anyway", Buster spoke up, "we need to go see the boss. Do you know where he is?"<br>"Right over there", Slappy pointed behind her.  
>"Thanks Slappy", Buster said as he, Cliff, and Heather resumed their walk. A few moments later, they spotted the person Buster wanted the two cats to meet, talking with another guy.<br>"Excuse me", Buster said. The man turned to the blue bunny.  
>"Buster!", he exclaimed. "Long time no see!"<br>"Good to see you again", Buster replied as he shook hands with the man. Cliff & Heather both made faces of sincere surprise.  
>"Oh my gosh", Cliff started. "Is that Steven Spielberg?"<br>"Yep", Buster answered. "Steven, I'd like you to meet Cliff Evans & Heather Divine."  
>"Hello", Steven greeted as he shook hands with the two cats.<br>Heather then asked, "Are you the one that created Tiny Toons & Animaniacs?"  
>"Yep. How can I help you?"<br>"I was wondering if you could do me a favor", Buster said.  
>"What would that be?"<br>"I would like these two to be a permanent addition of Tiny Toon Adventures. They've become quite popular already."  
>"Is that so?"<br>"Yep. Cliff is part of a Rush tribute band, with Furrball & Calamity, and boy they rock!"  
>"Oh really? What's the name of the group?"<br>"The Subdivisions."  
>"What's your role in the group?", Steven asked Cliff.<br>"I'm the Geddy Lee of the group."  
>"Bass player &amp; lead singer?"<br>"Yep."  
>"I see. What about her?", Steven pointed at Heather.<br>"She's my girlfriend."  
>"Ah, okay. Well, if you two want to be permanent cast members, then follow me to my office."<br>The three toons followed Steven out of the warehouse & into another building, to his office.

20 minutes has passed, as Buster waited outside Steven's office while Cliff & Heather were inside, talking with Steven.  
>The door opened, and Buster turned toward Cliff &amp; Heather, feeling anxious to hear the results.<br>"So, how'd it go?", asked the blue bunny.  
>After a moment of hesitation, Cliff answered, "We're in!"<br>He & Heather both took out their brand new Tiny Toons licenses & showed them to Buster.  
>"That's great!", Buster exclaimed. "I knew you guys would make it in!"<br>"So what do we do now?", Heather asked.  
>"Well, let's head back to Acme Acres &amp; find a band manager for The Subdivisions."<p>

Later on, after Buster, Cliff, and Heather returned to Acme Acres, Cliff met up with Furrball & Calamity as they made their way to Monty's house.  
>"Are you sure you got this, Furrball?", asked Calamity.<br>"Absolutely", Furrball replied before he rang the doorbell.  
>"What if he doesn't want to be our manager?", Cliff then asked.<br>"Trust me, he will."  
>"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"<br>"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."  
>Calamity snickered at Furrball's use of the phrase he just said, before the blue cat rang the doorbell again.<br>"What kind of offer are you gonna make?", questioned Cliff.  
>"One that involves money", Furrball answered. After another moment of waiting, Furrball began ringing the doorbell over &amp; over again, until a voice shouted.<br>"I'm coming, I'm coming!"  
>The door opened, and there stood Monty, being his usual grouchy self.<br>"What do you dweebs want?"  
>Furrball cleared his throat before he spoke. "Good afternoon, Montana. I have an offer that I would like to give you. One that involves being in charge, and earning more money. A lot more money."<br>"Oh yeah? What's the catch?"  
>"We would like you to be our band manager."<br>"Really?", Monty thought for a moment. "How much will I get?"  
>"Uhh...excuse me just a sec."<br>Furrball turned to his bandmates & they all huddled up. They all whispered to each other, talking about how much money Monty would earn, before they gave each other a nod. Furrball then turned back to the human toon.  
>"10%", Furrball said.<br>"50%", Monty remarked.  
>"20."<br>"40."  
>"30."<br>"25."  
>"Ah! Deal."<br>Monty made a face of confusion, but after thinking about what just happened for a moment, he made a face of disappointment. He then started banging his head on the door.  
>"I think you got him now", Calamity commented. After banging his head several more times, Monty turned to the trio in frustration.<br>"Alright, suckers. You're got a deal."  
>"Excellent", Furrball said as he shook hands with the human toon.<p>

As the days went by, The Subdivisions have been recording their own covers of every Rush album, from the debut album, which they've named The Subdivisions, to the Test For Echo album. They've released several songs as single across Acme Acres, and were earning lots of favorable acclaim from fans all around.  
>One Monday afternoon, The Subdivisions has announced an upcoming concert being performed in the auditorium of Acme Loo, on Friday night. They created posters, advertisements, and even TV commercials.<br>On Friday night, once the doors of the auditorium opened, people made their way inside & filled up the whole buildings very quickly. Also, The Subdivisions hired a camera crew to film the concert on DVD & make more money.  
>Backstage, as the crowd waited for the show to begin, Cliff was sitting in his chair, tuning his guitar &amp; warming himself up. Calamity then appeared behind him, twirling his drumsticks around.<br>"This is it, pal", Calamity said. "This is the big night."  
>"Indeed", Cliff replied. "I just hope all goes well."<br>"I'm sure we'll be fine. No need to worry."  
>At that moment, Monty appeared &amp; spoke up.<br>"Alright, are you three all set?"  
>"Almost", Cliff answered. "We're still waiting on Lerxst."<br>"Who?"  
>"Furrball. We're using these nicknames that Rush use on each other."<br>Furrball then appeared, clad in his schoolboy outfit.  
>"There he is", Cliff said upon spotting the blue cat. "You look like you're ready to rock 'n' roll."<br>"I sure am", Furrball replied with a smile.  
>Suddenly, a staticy voice is heard saying, "Monty, are you there?"<br>Monty pulled out his walkie-talkie & responded, "Yes, go ahead."  
>"I've got three men waiting for you at the back."<br>"Alright, I'm on my way." As Monty put away his walkie-talkie, Cliff spoke up.  
>"Wait, what's he talking about? What three men?"<br>"Nothing, it's just business."  
>"What business?", Furrball asked.<br>"It's none of your business." Monty then walked out the door & slammed it behind him.  
>"Jeez", Cliff commented, "what's up with him?"<br>"He's always like this", Calamity replied. "But what are these three men that they're talking about?"  
>"I hope they aren't critics", Furrball said.<br>Meanwhile, Monty stepped outside to the three men waiting for him.  
>"Hello, guys", he greeted to them, "glad you could make it."<br>"Are you Montana Max?", asked one of the three men.  
>"Yes I am. Come right in &amp; follow me."<br>Monty led the trio to the seats in the upper level, where three of the seats were reserved. Once they all sat down, the second man spoke up.  
>"How come we're seated all the way back here?"<br>Monty replied, "Because I don't want you to be seen. I wanna surprise my band after the show's over."  
>"Okay, fair enough."<br>"So, do you guys want any food or something to drink?"  
>"Nah, we're good", the third man responded. "We just ate before we got here."<br>"Okay." At that moment, Monty's walkie-talkie went off again, but this time it was Cliff who's speaking.  
>"Monty, where are you? The show's about to start."<br>Monty took out his walkie-talkie & replied, "Hang on, I'll be there in a minute."  
>Backstage, The Subdivisions were all left wondering what the heck Monty is doing.<br>Cliff asked, "What cold he possibly be doing that's taking him so long?" Calamity shrugged & Furrball shook his head in response.  
>"Okay, guys", Monty said, "I have to go. You guys sit back &amp; enjoy the show."<br>Monty then left the three men & quickly rejoined The Subdivisions backstage.  
>"Alright, I'm here."<br>"Hey, what kept ya?", Cliff asked.  
>"Mind your own business!"<br>"Alright, alright. Sheesh!"  
>Monty then spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Okay, turn out the lights."<br>Once the lights in the auditorium shut off, the room was filled with the cheers of the crowd. Monty then stepped up to the stage as a spotlight is centered on him.  
>"Greetings, and welcome to the show. Tonight's performance features three talented toons with the gift &amp; the power of rock 'n' roll. They are a Rush tribute band from right here in Acme Acres. So, please welcome to the stage, The Subdivisions!"<br>The crowd cheered as Monty made his way off stage. Cliff, Furrball, and Calamity all stood & made their way to the stage.  
>"Here we go, guys", Cliff said. "It's showtime."<p> 


	13. Another big surprise

Backstage, as The Subdivisions were relaxing after playing 22 songs, including a long drum solo by Calamity, the toons all rushed in, along with Marie.  
>"That was AWESOME!", Babs squealed in delight.<br>"You guys totally rock!", Buster exclaimed.  
>"Did you all enjoy the show?", Cliff asked.<br>"Like, we sure did", replied Shirley.  
>Fifi went up &amp; hugged Furrball.<br>"Good job, Furrball", Fifi said as she kissed his forehead. "Vous were wonderful."  
>"Thanks Fifi", Furrball replied, "I'm glad you liked the show."<br>"I'm tres happy you played Closer To The Heart for moi. Merci."  
>"You're welcome."<br>Cosette then approached Calamity, who's in his normal guise, wearing only his shoes.  
>"Hi honey", the grey coyote greeted.<br>"Bonjour, mon amore", Cosette greeted back. "How are you?"  
>"Sore as heck."<br>"Aww, poor theeng." Cosette then stood behind her boyfriend & started rubbing his shoulders.  
>"Ah, that feels good", Calamity said.<br>Marie & Heather appeared next to Cliff, with the former hugging him.  
>"You did a wonderful job out there!", Heather commented.<br>"You did, you were awesome!", Marie said in excitement.  
>"Thank you", Cliff replied, hugging her back. At that moment, the door opened, and Monty appeared.<br>"Gentlemen", he started, with the toons turning to him, "I have a little surprise for you three."  
>"Yeah?", Cliff said. "What is it?"<br>Monty stepped aside, and the three men Monty invited to the show appeared. They were all middle-aged, with the first guy having very short brown hair, the second having short white hair, and the third with long brown hair & glasses.  
>"Howdy do", said the man with long hair as the toons all gasped at their appearance.<br>"Oh my gosh", Cliff said in surprise, "it's Rush!"  
>"Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson, and Geddy Lee!", Calamity exclaimed.<br>"Yes, hello", Geddy said.  
>"Hi", Buster replied, "how did you three get here?"<br>"This young man invited us over", Geddy replied, "and he wanted us to check out The Subdivisions."  
>Furrball, Calamity, and Cliff all stepped forward, feeling awestruck.<br>"Hello", Neil greeted as the three men shook hands with the three toons.  
>"Oh my gosh", Calamity said, "this is like a dream come true."<br>"What are your names again?", Alex asked.  
>"My name's Cliff", Cliff started, "and this is Furrball &amp; Calamity."<br>"'Cliff'", Geddy repeated. "'Cliff'? That name sounds familiar..."  
>"Oh, we met a few years ago."<br>"Oh yeah! You were at the show in Concord, with your mother."  
>"Yep, that's me!"<br>"Well, what a surprise to see you again."  
>Marie then stepped forward &amp; joined her son.<br>"Hello", she greeted.  
>"Hey", Neil said happily as he, Alex, and Geddy shook hands with her, "good to see you again."<br>"Good to see you too."  
>Furrball then spoke up. "Hey, what did you guys think about the show?"<br>"You guys were excellent tonight", Alex replied, "you did all the songs perfectly."  
>"Thanks Alex", Furrball replied.<br>Rush then settled in with the toons, with Alex hanging out with Furrball & Fifi.  
>"Is this your girlfriend?", Alex asked.<br>"Yep, this is Fifi", Furrball replied.  
>"Hi Fifi."<br>"Bonjour, Monsieur Lifeson", Fifi greeted back.  
>"Oh, you're French?"<br>"Oui, I'm from Paris."  
>"Very cool. How long have you &amp; Furrball been together?"<br>"For nearly 6 months now."  
>"That's awesome. You two are like Pepe Le Pew &amp; that black cat, whatever her name is."<br>"Penelope", Furrball said.  
>"Penelope? Is that her name?"<br>"Yep."  
>Meanwhile, Neil is hanging out with Calamity &amp; Cosette.<br>"Bonjour", Cosette greeted to Neil.  
>"Hello", Neil greeted back. "What's your name?"<br>"Cosette."  
>"Pleased to meet you, Cosette", Neil said, shaking hands with her. "Are you Calamity's girlfriend?"<br>"Oui, I am."  
>"Kind of weird, isn't it?", Calamity spoke. "A coyote &amp; a skunk in a relationship."<br>"I don't think that's weird at all", Neil commented. "You two look great together."  
>"Merci", Cosette said.<br>Calamity then asked, "Hey, Neil? That hat you wear when you're playing with Rush, what's it called?"  
>"It's called a kofia", Neil responded, "it's great for keeping the sweat off of your face."<br>"I could use a hat like that. I felt the sweat dripping from my ears to my face from time to time."  
>Elsewhere, Geddy is talking with Cliff, Heather, and Marie.<br>"What did you think of my performance?", Cliff asked Geddy.  
>"You were awesome", Geddy replied. "I'm amazed at how high your voice can get. It frightens me."<br>The group all laughed before Geddy continued.  
>"But, honestly, you truly have the gift of rock 'n' roll in your soul, and I am really impressed at how you &amp; Furrball &amp; Calamity all fit perfectly as a Rush tribute band."<br>"He is wonderful", Marie complimented, "he's been a Rush fan for as long as I can remember."  
>"I'm quite honored to hear that."<br>Heather then said, "He told me that he has all of your albums."  
>"No way, really?"<br>"Well, all the studio albums, that is", Cliff said.  
>"Ah, I see. Well, Cliff, since you did such a wonderful job tonight, and you left the three of us quite, uh, amazed...by your performance, I have a little gift for you."<br>Geddy reached into his jacket pocket & pulled out a pair of glasses.  
>"These glasses", Geddy said, "are the same exact glasses that I wore while touring with Lerxst &amp; Pratt. They're one of the few I wear while touring, and...they're yours to keep."<br>Cliff gasped in surprise as Geddy handed him the glasses. The tan cat looked at them for a moment before he put them on.  
>"How do I look?", he asked.<br>"You look great", Marie said as Geddy smiled.  
>"Where's a mirror?", Cliff asked.<br>"I have one", Heather said as she pulled a small mirror out of her jacket & gave it to Cliff. The tan cat took a look at the mirror & admired his image, smiling.  
>"Now you look like a toony version of myself", Geddy commented.<br>"Now I'm truly the Dirk of the group", Cliff said.  
>Geddy laughed &amp; said, "You're using our nicknames?"<br>"Why not? We are a Rush tribute band after all."  
>"True, I'll give you that. Would you mind me calling you Dirk Jr.? Or Junior for short?"<br>"Sure", Cliff replied with a smile.  
>"How did you three get together? I wanna know."<br>Cliff smiled as he started telling Geddy everything about how he, Furrball, and Calamity formed The Subdivisions.

_**THE END**_

**And that concludes this story. Unfortunately, I won't be able to post any songfics as promised, but I will be referencing them in future stories. Also, I will resume working on Acme Acres Robot Rumble in January, right after I celebrate the holidays. So, thank you for reading this story, I hope you like Cliff & Heather, since they are now part of the Tiny Toons cast from now on. Also, I just noticed that it's been a year since I posted A Special Tiny Toons Christmas. Can you believe that? However, in 2018, to celebrate my 5th year here, I will add new material to A Special Tiny Toons Christmas, including grammar corrections, new scenes, and even a whole new chapter. So, stay tuned for the next chapter of Acme Acres Robot Rumble, and have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year. :)**


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